Joan Burney Keatings MBE is marking 25 years leading one of Northern Ireland's standout creative success stories.

Since taking charge, the charity has engaged with more than 40,000 young people annually, connecting participants at home and across the world through skills development, production opportunities and festivals.

Keatings joined Cinemagic in 2001 as Press and Marketing Officer after a role in BBC Communications and Corporate Affairs. She became Festival Director within a year and was appointed Chief Executive in 2003.

Under her leadership, Cinemagic has evolved from a Belfast film and television festival into an award-winning international initiative that uses film to dismantle barriers between young people and create pathways into a traditionally hard-to-access industry.

Founded in 1989 during the Troubles to bring Catholic and Protestant young people together, Cinemagic has since enabled thousands from different communities, countries, abilities and backgrounds to work side by side, building skills, friendships and confidence.

Keatings has spearheaded international growth with programmes in Dublin, London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Jordan and Barbados, while showcasing Northern Ireland's talent and expanding screen industry on the global stage.

That reach has drawn support from major names in film and television, including patrons and supporters Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Dermot O'Leary, Suranne Jones, Paula Malcomson and Oscar-winning writer-producer Julian Fellowes.

Notable milestones include bringing Jim Henson's Muppets to Northern Ireland for the first time in 2002 and welcoming Academy Award-winning Aardman Animations in 2003, alongside countless visits from Oscar-winning talent over the years.

The charity's 30th anniversary in 2019 was marked by a visit from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who met young filmmakers and children involved in outreach and skills programmes.

Cinemagic productions have provided a platform for young people to explore mental health, racial discrimination, consent, domestic and gender-based violence, drug addiction and the legacy of division.

Among these is Abia, Cinemagic's first film made in Jordan and shot in Arabic. Created with young people in Amman and addressing gender-based violence, it was screened in New York on International Women's Day in 2023 and won Best Foreign Language Film at the British Short Film Awards. Joan subsequently received a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles in 2023 and 2024 and recognition from the California State Senate.

Another production, So What If It Rains, examined the legacy of the Good Friday Agreement and was screened in London at an event hosted by the UK and Ireland at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Irish Embassy.

This sits within a body of work of more than 200 short films and behind-the-scenes documentaries, plus two feature films and three televised behind-the-scenes feature documentaries. The features A Christmas Star and Grace and Goliath broke further ground. A Christmas Star, the first Northern Irish and Irish children's Christmas movie, placed 40 young trainees on a professional set and featured Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Kylie Minogue, Paula Malcomson, Dermot O'Leary and Suranne Jones before being sold internationally. Grace and Goliath expanded the model by bringing young people from Los Angeles to work alongside their Northern Ireland counterparts.

Keatings' 25th anniversary coincides with fresh international activity. Having returned from Los Angeles in June after taking 21 young people from Northern Ireland, Ireland and Canada to Cinemagic's 16th annual Los Angeles programme, she is now preparing to travel to Barbados for the premiere of Call Me Raven on 10 September 2026.

The short film Call Me Raven, inspired by a true story, explores recovery, resilience and friendship. It is the culmination of Cinemagic's first Caribbean Youth Film Academy, a first-of-its-kind collaboration that brought 20 Barbadian young people together with a professional local crew.

Joan said: "When I joined Cinemagic 25 years ago, I had huge ambition for what it could become. What we have achieved has exceeded even the strategic plans and dreams I had for it then.

"But the purpose has never changed. It is about bringing young people together who might never otherwise meet, giving them access to opportunities they might never otherwise have and using film to start conversations about issues that matter.

"I am enormously proud when I see a Cinemagic young person go on to work in the industry, but I am equally proud when I see young people from completely different backgrounds working together, forming friendships and realising what they are capable of.

"We have also always been ambitious about taking Northern Ireland to the world. Through our international work, we have been able to showcase our creativity, our young people and Northern Ireland as an important destination for the global film industry.

"To have had the opportunity to lead Cinemagic and work with so many extraordinary young people over the past 25 years has been the privilege of a lifetime. I never take for granted what a special job this is, or the trust placed in us to help young people discover their potential.

"And this is just the beginning. I still have so much more I want to do with Cinemagic, and I am incredibly excited about what the future holds."

The Barbados premiere this month marks another new chapter for the organisation, with further roll-out of its model anticipated.

Keatings' contribution has been recognised at home and abroad. She was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for services to the Arts in Northern Ireland, becoming the youngest-ever female recipient of the honour at that time. Further honours include BT Inspirational Woman of the Year, an Honorary Fellowship for her contribution to Arts and Media, a Business Innovation Award in Los Angeles and recognition from the California State Senate.

The 37th Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival, in association with Belfast City Airport, runs in Belfast from September to November 2026. Further details: cinemagic.org.uk/festivals/