A young movie producer-director from Belfast, who was part of a special UK delegation to the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, will be sharing her experiences with the next generation of screen talent. Margaret McGoldrick will talk about her career making movies with aspiring teenage producers as part of the new 2023/24 season of Into Film’s ScreenWorks Programme, which offers free, hands-on work experience in the screen industries.

Aimed at young people aged 14-19, ScreenWorks gives young people unparalleled access to industry professionals across all five screen sectors – Film, Television, Animation, Gaming and Visual Effects as part of a scheme supported by NI Screen.

Margaret, who is 34, feels strongly about developing young talent in Northern Ireland and helping the next generation of filmmakers.

“Young people should grab every opportunity to build their experience. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do when I was that age but sometimes something will just click and you realise it’s right for you,” she said.

The job of a producer involves spotting a potential creative idea and convincing others to get on board to make the film. Looking back, she realises that she developed the art of pitching proposals as a schoolgirl when she was part of a team responsible for of all charity fundraising for her year group at Aquinas Grammar.

That skill has helped her throughout her career and she was delighted to have been chosen by the British Film Institute as just one of 12 UK film producers to attend the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to develop international screen co-productions. This includes two hours of back-to-back speed-networking sessions in which she could pitch her ideas.

“The trip was very informative and a brilliant networking opportunity. I met a range of Canadian producers that I’ll be following up with but it also gave me a chance to meet more UK producers as well who were part of the delegation. which was great,” she said.

Margaret has been mentored by legendary Northern Ireland producer Mark Huffam, whose screen credits include The Northman, House of Gucci. The Journey and the upcoming Ridley Scott epic Napoleon.

She also trained with BAFTA winning director Jon East, shadowing him on Bloodlands Season 2.

And last year as part of the Northern Ireland Screen’s New Talent Focus she co-produced feature film, Lie of the Land, which premiered at Galway Film Festival and went on to win Best Irish First Time Feature Film.

“I’ve been really fortunate to have received so much support and I feel strongly that I want to give some of this knowledge back to people who are considering a career in the industry. I wish there had been ScreenWorks when I was a teenager because I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do back then,” she said.

The 2023/24 ScreenWorks programme includes free courses across the year in a whole range of areas – from AI to Programming for Games, Music Composition to Hair & Make Up. Margaret’s session on producing will be held from October 24-26.

Sean Boyle, ScreenWorks Manager, said: “It’s so inspirational for students to see all the young talent coming through from Northern Ireland. Margaret is a great ambassador for the industry – she is proactive, talented and an excellent communicator.”

Margaret and business partner Leo McGuigan formed What’s Next Films and she also works with Causeway Pictures. She is currently working with local director Jim McMorrow on a documentary on Hollywood film producer Debra Hill, who worked closely with John Carpenter on the Halloween movies and also co-produced Oliver Stone’s World Trade Centre.

“Debra was this amazing producer but so few people know about her. She was a co-writer on Halloween as well as producer and she championed Jamie Lee Curtis for the lead part. For the documentary, we interviewed John Carpenter via zoom but were able to speak to Jamie Lee in person in LA. As a producer, this is a real passion project for me and we are working to raise the funds to finish it,” she said.

For her ScreenWorks session, she will be exploring the job of producer and the various roles on set. Students will get the chance to break down a script and create a budget as well as learning to pitch their film ideas.