Ballymena woman, Eileen Russell's, short film to help children deal with loss is set to make its Cinemagic debut

A New Day for Little Bear will be screened on Saturday 28th September 2024 in Queen’s Film Theatre as part of the International Film & Television Festival for Young People.

The short film, which was crafted by professional play therapist and founder of WayMaker Child Therapy, Eileen Russell, employs a therapeutic metaphor to guide young audiences through the emotions of grief and recovery.

In this touching narrative, Little Bear faces the heartbreak of losing his cherished stars, a symbol of his comfort and joy. Through the gentle unfolding of events, Little Bear learns to embrace the beauty of a new experience—the sunrise. This transition from night to day symbolises hope, resilience, and the possibility of finding new light after darkness.

Eileen Russell said: “At WayMaker, we are passionate about the work we do in helping to transform children’s lives through the healing power of play. We harness the power of storytelling to foster emotional well-being and resilience in children and families. As part of this, I am delighted that A New Day for Little Bear is going to be previewed at Cinemagic.

“Experiencing loss at any age is hugely traumatic, but when you are a child, the grief is heightened further because they don’t have a full understanding of what has happened. Through this therapeutic story, which has been created, produced and recorded locally, it is my hope that we will be able to help children and families find comfort and be able to navigate their grief together, and know that they too, like Little Bear, will heal and find light after the darkness.”

One of the mum’s who has used the animation to help her children said: "In our experience of loss, my kids and I found comfort in watching Little Bear and his story. Everything about this animation is gentle and soothing; the tone, the narrative, the imagery... everything. It offered us a moment to sit in Little Bear's story as well as our own, to be curious and ask questions and to see the possibility of hopeful new ways.”

The animation was developed as part of a research and development project funded by Future Screens NI and involved collaboration with Queen's University Belfast and Creative Producer Jordan Whitefield from What Elephant. It will compete in Cinemagic’s official festival competition - Audience Award ‘Best Short Film for a Children’s Audience – which will be judged by an audience of children.

For further information on A New Day for Little Bear go to www.wearewaymaker.com