Donegal 16-24 year olds to avail of New Horizons smartphone filmmaking training

A new participatory filmmaking programme will be made available to 16-24-year-olds across Donegal.

Póca Productions and Donegal County Council’s PEACEPLUS Partnership celebrated the official launch of New Horizon’s countywide programme - Building Respect for all Cultural Identities through Participatory Filmmaking. The launch took place at Co Lab at ATU’s Letterkenny campus.

This New Horizons Programme is one of 32 PEACEPLUS programmes managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and is part of Donegal’s PEACEPLUS Local Action Plan. The plan is providing €7,635,395 in funding to support the delivery of peacebuilding projects over the next two years, from 2025 to 2027.

Over the lifespan of this New Horizons programme, Póca Productions will work with up to 300 young people aged between 16 and 24 to produce two-minute films using smartphones. Participants will learn industry standard filmmaking techniques applied to the accessible technology and software available on a smartphone.

The programme will run across all Municipal Districts in Donegal and cross-border areas working with Transition Year students and young people in community settings.

“Film is a powerful visual medium that transcends language barriers – humans have been telling stories through pictures since we lived in caves,” said Camilla Meegan of Póca Productions at the launch. “We tell stories to celebrate love; to process loss and to conquer fear. We tell stories to get to know each other. 

“Póca Productions are delighted to have the opportunity to bring our Smartphone Filmmaking Training to young people throughout Donegal and the wider Northwest. We hope the participants of this programme will enjoy the filmmaking process and the opportunity to work creatively in a group; make new friends and have some craic along the way!”

The programme will bring together groups of young people from across all cultural identities to tell stories related to cultural identity through film. Participants will work in small production teams to script, shoot and edit a film to illustrate a story of their choice. The programme will promote social inclusion and cultural diversity across social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Participants will be facilitated to develop stories that explore commonalities and celebrate difference across all cultures in the region.

This New Horizons programme aims to promote a greater understanding of, and respect for all the diverse cultural identities in the region. In addition, as the filmmaking skills that the young people will acquire during the training are highly transferable to many work situations, the experience will be a valuable addition to their CV. It is also hoped that through this programme young people from all backgrounds will be inspired to consider the possibility of a future career in the film and TV sector. 

The films produced during this programme will be screened at two dedicated film festivals; May 2026 and May 2027 where the filmmakers will come together again to screen their work publicly and to reflect on their experience through panel discussions and networking.

"Let New Horizons be more than a programme - Turning Stories into Social Change," said Paul Canning, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council. "One that empowers voices, bridges divides, and builds a Donegal where every identity is respected, every story is heard, and every community belongs."

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If you, your school or your community group would like to get involved in this programme contact camilla@pocaproductions.ie