merrion street

Keynote Speaker – Lord David Puttnam, Oscar Winning Film Producer

Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will address the opening of the Youth Film and Digital Media Conference in Kilkenny Castle this morning at 10am. The conference is being hosted by Young Irish Film Makers (YIFM) to mark its 21st anniversary.

Some of the aims of the conference are:

· To begin to build an Irish network for youth film and digital media.

· To develop a national strategy for youth film in Ireland in line of the IFI/Irish Film Board’s report on youth film-making.

· To exchange youth film best practice and create ongoing youth film partnerships.

· To reach a consensus for future collaborations and develop ideas for potential youth film projects in the future.

The key note speaker addressing the conference is Oscar Winning film Producer, Lord David Puttnam. The title of his address is 'The future in Close Up'. "Lord Puttnam was recently appointed 'Digital Champion for Ireland'. “He has always been a genuine champion and early adopter of digital technologies and is passionate about their ability to positively transform society,” said Minister Deenihan.

The conference is open to young people from all across Ireland and will provide an opportunity for delegates to give their input at breakout sessions throughout the day. Laura Gaynor from County Sligo will also give a presentation about what it is to be a young film maker and where she sees her future in film making.

Following the conference, which the YIFM intend to make an annual event, a report will be drawn up for Minister Deenihan on a national strategy for youth film and digital literacy which will include research into the services, education and training available for young people in these areas. Speaking in advance of the conference, Minister Deenihan said that he looked forward to receiving a copy of this report and added, “The success of young film makers such as Gerard Barrett from my hometown of Listowel illustrates the successful careers that young people can have in this industry. This conference will affirm the importance of youth film making and digital literacy programmes in impacting on the present lives and future careers of all young Irish people.”