Look@Me
Look@Me is a film and primary school education outreach project pioneered by Cork International Film Festival in 2022 with the support of Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Arts Fund in association with Business to Arts.
CIFF commissioned a short film by filmmaker Maximilian Le Cain who worked with 5th class pupils (10-12 y.o.) in Cork City and UCC film students, facilitating their learning to explore and share their experiences on film. The short film, The Magical Tortilla Chip, premiered at CIFF on Sunday, 20th November 2022 and online nationwide.
The second iteration of Look@Me took place in 2023 with Strawberry Hill NS where 5th class pupils created a short film, Make Sense, which premiered at the 68th CIFF in November 2023.
In 2024, CIFF partnered once again with Strawberry Hill NS and Maximilian Le Cain to create a new 10-minute short film, The Storybook, which premiered at the 69th CIFF on Thursday 14th November 2024.
This project is supported through Cork City Council by the Creative Ireland Programme, an all-of-government five-year initiative, from 2023 to 2027, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. Further information from creativeireland.gov.ie.
About
Look@Me empowers primary school pupils to share their stories, providing a platform for their voices. The project also enables professional filmmakers like Max to deepen their practice in the role of film as a communication tool for marginalised groups, whilst mentoring UCC film students to gain practical experience and develop community filmmaking skills.
The programme engages young people aged 10-12, demystifying the filmmaking process and furthering engagement in the arts, encouraging greater awareness of creative career paths and the power of this popular medium to explore sometimes difficult topics such as health and wellbeing.
School teachers are also engaged to view the film and learn about the programme and the finished film will reach a wide audience, including the school population, students’ families, film/arts community groups, and Festival audiences.
In addition to this, Look@Me supports the development of new artistic work, created together by all involved, shared widely with peers.
The pilot of Look@Me was supported by the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund in partnership with Business to Arts, and delivered with support from the Department of Film and Screen Media in University College Cork.
The 2024 iteration of the Look@Me film and education project is supported through Cork City Council by the Creative Ireland Programme, an all-of-government five-year initiative, from 2023 to 2027, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. Further information from creativeireland.gov.ie.
For enquiries, please contact schools@corkfilmfest.org
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