Belfast film charity receives prestigious LA accolade at screening of new film

Cinemagic, a Belfast based film charity for young people, has received a special award from the City of Los Angeles following the screening of Abia, Cinemagic’s newest production that homes in on gender-based violence in the Middle East.

Joan Burney Keatings, chief executive of Cinemagic, attended the event in the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles. The event was hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico and the Consulate of Ireland on International Women’s Day.

She was there to reinforce the message of the short film, which highlights the violence faced by women in Syria and Jordan.

After the screening and a discussion about gender-based violence between Joan and Gloria Cruz, director for policy and advocacy of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Ms Burney Keatings was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for Cinemagic’s efforts.

The certificate commended the film charity for its “talent and courage” shown while producing the film in Jordan alongside young Jordanians and Syrian refugees and in partnership with Generations For Peace, supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.

It read, “On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, I commend you for the talent and courage you displayed in producing Abia, a film that tackles the issue of violence in Syria and Jordan. Your work inspired important conversations around gender-based violence and serves as a critical call to action for all of us. I wish you continued success in making films that provoke positive change in our world.”

Joan Burney Keatings MBE said: “It is both a surprise and an honour to receive a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles for the work we put into Abia, from the very home of movie making, LA.

“Being able to show Abia here and provoke conversation around the issue of gender-based violence is a very useful event in tackling it.

“We are so proud of our partnership with Generations For Peace, the Embassy of Ireland in Jordan and all the young people we had the pleasure of working with on this special project.”

Cinemagic’s Abia took Best Foreign Language Film at the recent British Short Film Awards.