Thank you!

Festival Team

Mary McGrath – Festival Director

Max Le Cain – Programme Manager

Úna Feely – Festival Producer

Ronan O’Toole – Project Manager

A special thanks to our amazing team, volunteers, great partners, passionate filmmakers, sponsors and to everyone who came to see these amazing films.

Jamie Hanrahan - Website Design

Gerry O’Mahony - Festival Photographer

Kara Sweeney - Festival Video Documentation

Kieran O’Connor - Programme and Poster Design

Jessica Bonenfant Coogan – YMVC Coordinator

Karen McCabe – Administrator

Ayşegül Yüzel – Volunteer Coordinator

Casey Walsh – Social Media

Tara Murphy – Festival Strategy & Policy Consultant

Chris Hurley – Technical Consultant

Oscar O’Sullivan – Cork Young Filmmakers

Programme Admin

Arran Bradstock – Festival Open Day Manager

Eimear O’Brien – Lunasa PR

Festival Trustees & Patrons

Ayoola Smart

John McCarthy

Kate O’Connor

Linda Curtin

Pascal Scott

Toirdealbhach Ó Lionáird

A very special thank you to our main funders The Arts Council of Ireland and Cork County Council, to all the organisations who provide support to our programmes and workshops; RTE Supporting the Arts, CETB, (Cork Education and Training Board), CLYP, (Local Creative Youth Partnership), Cork Credit Unions, Screen Ireland, SECAD, YIFM and more. Thanks to our Animania sponsor Youghal Credit Union and special thanks to Cork International Film Festival who are also our festival partner again this year.

A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered valuable time and energy to help make First Cut! 2023 happen. We thank sincerely all of the exceptionally talented and successful filmmakers who have joined us this year to offer their support to young filmmakers.

We are very fortunate to the support of the local business sponsors in Youghal and surrounding areas and to have both The Mall Arts Centre and The Regal Cinema in the heart of Youghal town. They provide us with generous support and

Special thanks to Aileen Loughrey (Irish Language Officer Cork County Council); Allyn Quigley; Anna Garcea (CIFF); Arran Bradstock; Ayla Amano; Ayoola Smart; Barry Dignam (IADT); Beth Taylor, (The Regal Cinema); Belinda Walsh; Bernadette Tuite (Chapel Hill); Bob Gallagher; Brendan Canty; Catherine Walker; Cry Local Radio, Youghal; Críona Sexton (Screen Ireland); Darina Clancy; Dónal Ó Céilleachair; Don O’Mahony and Deirdre Mc Carthy (Cork International Film Festival); Eimear Harte, The Arts Council YPCE; Eimear O Brien (Lunasa

PR); Elena Horgan; Fiona Clarke (Cork International Film Festival), Fiona Quinn (Cork Local Creative Youth Partnership, CLYP); Francis O’Mahony; Garry McHugh (YIFM Coordinator); Áine O Donovan (TY Coordinator, Pobalscoil na Trionóide); Grace Mitchell (Creative Ireland Cork County Council);Ian McDonagh (Cork County Council Arts Officer); Jamie O’Rourke; Joe McCarthy (Municipal District Officer); Killian Daly (The Regal Cinema); Karl Wallace (Head of Festivals, The Arts Council); Kate Dolan; Katie McNeice; Kayde Middleton; Kieran

O’Connor (Graphic Design); Kieran Quinn (Youghal Credit Union); Lisa McDonald; Maeve Mc Grath (Galway Film Fleadh); Mairéad Kiernan, Network Coordinator YIFM; Megan Murphy; Mieke Vanmechelen; Mick Finn (CETB); Nell Hensey; Dr. Paul Deane (MaREI); Rebekah Bustos; Robert Fitzhugh (Dublin Smartphone Film Festival); Sam Mc Grath; Seóna Ni Bhriain (Head of YPCE, The Arts Council); Tadgh Crowley (The Glucksman, University College Cork); Tara O’Callaghan; Therese Dalton (County Wexford Youth Film Project) large spacious auditoriums allowing ample room for us to welcome everyone with state-of-the-art cinema screens.

Friends of the Festival

Without the Youghal business community who support the festival and enable it to grow and thrive, the First Cut! Youth Festival would not be possible. To become a festival friend contact us at:

+353 86 813 9019 - firstcutfilm@gmail.com - firstcutfilmfestival.com

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