It hard to believe that the brilliant FÍS Film Project has been running for almost 25 years. Led by Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Dún Laoghaire (IADT) in Partnership with PDST, its core objective is to introduce the medium of film to primary students and explore how it can enhance the educational and life experiences of children in participating schools nationwide. Each year primary schools are encouraged to enter their shorts (Up to 5 minutes) in the annual national FÍS Film Awards competition (Entries close the last Friday in June) which culminates with an annual awards ceremony where shortlisted films are showcased and celebrated in the Helix Theatre, Dublin each year.
In addition to the FÍS Film Awards competition which have become a staple in the primary school calendar since the noughties, a new FÍS Storyboard Storytelling Competition was launched in 2020, initially as a once-off in response to the Covid pandemic but due to its success it has continued and returns for 2023. Time is ticking though for children to get creative with this year’s closing date, Friday, March 31st at 5pm.
A class (or groups within a class) can create a joint three-page A4 or A3 storyboard using one of the suggested themes for inspiration or they can get creative and come up with their very own story to visually represent. Storyboard templates are available at fisfilmproject.ie and schools can enter up to 4 storyboards. For further details and to enter see the Storyboard Storytelling Competition page.