Throwing away the script

Not your usual workshop

The Homemade Cinema is a whirling, eye-popping adventure into experimental animation for children aged 12-14.

It roars to life across four creative corners of the North-West—The Dock (Carrick-on-Shannon), Stáisiún Óige (Ballinamore), the SiarScéal Festival (Roscommon) and The Glens Centre (Manorhamilton). These are not just workshops. They are portals. Each one opens up a world where cinema breaks free from rules, children become filmmakers, and no dreams are off limits.  

Led by artist and educator Fergal Brennan (and a few equally curious collaborators), these workshops are full of play, discovery, chaos, colour, and collaboration. Kids scratch into real 16mm film, smear ink onto paper, invent new tools from sticks and toothbrushes, and animate stories with no scripts—just instinct and imagination.  

The Homemade Cinema (THMC) is built on a big idea: that children are not “the filmmakers of tomorrow”—they’re artists right now. In a world overflowing with glossy mainstream media, THMC hands children the camera, the editing tools, and the curating power. They don't just make films—they choose what films to show too. Together, they build a full-on experimental film festival at The Dock, showcasing their own work and other films they’ve selected. They even design the flyer! 

There’s nothing quite like this anywhere else in Ireland. No standard curriculum for artistic cinema exists for children—just the usual cartoon fare. But THMC offers something radical: access to alternative film languages, playful critique, and full-spectrum creative control. It’s cinema as an act of joy, rebellion, and discovery.  

This empowers children’s confidence, voice, and weird, wonderful ways of seeing. It’s experimental film education tailored for young people from diverse communities. It’s messy. It’s bold. It’s beautiful. And it’s only just beginning.  

The Homemade Cinema is proudly supported by leading mentorship partners with expertise in film education for young audiences. Together, we’re growing a new generation of artists who think sideways, laugh loudly, and light up the screen in ways you’ve never seen before.

The Homemade Cinema is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland / National Youth Council of Ireland / Leitrim County Council / Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Core Values

These core values reflect our intention to create ambitious animation projects for young people which embrace curiosity, inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation.

Constellations, Not Stars

We make more beautiful patterns together, than Orion ever can. Collaboration builds empathy and strengthens community. No matter where we’re headed, we gain vital life skills by working as a team.

Circles, Not Hierarchies 

We don’t believe in “experts” here. To be real participants, everyone in the room is challenged to teach and to learn. Everyone—regardless of age, background, or skill level—is respected, listened to, and appreciated as an equal part of that circle.

You Are the World Expert on You

We ask questions that no one else can answer. That’s where discovery begins. Together, we explore what only you can know about yourself and the world.

Playful Learning

We believe that a fun environment is essential for safe learning, creative risk-taking, and imaginative exploration. Singing is encouraged!

Multi-sensory & Multidisciplinary

When we use maths to explore animation, we deepen our understanding of both. By involving touch, smell, sound, and emotion, we move beyond just seeing—and engage with the full experience of making art.

Follow Your Nose (or Your Heart)

We use art as a tool to help young artists discover their emotional and imaginative vocabulary. It’s how we learn to interpret the world and meet its challenges creatively and courageously.

Journey Over Jargon

We learn through playful experiments and unexpected outcomes that spark curiosity and critical thinking. Instead of sitting through lectures, we make learning active, exciting, and unforgettable.

How, not What to Think

We’re here to learn *how* to think, not *what* to think—or who to follow. Rather than command, we invite. Diverse experiences, cultures, and perspectives are not just welcomed—they’re essential.

Art for Real Change

We treat art as a transformative force—one that can activate, engage, and empower like no other. We take young artists seriously, challenging one another with complex ideas, experiences, and artworks.

The Audience Also Makes It

Art is only completed through a meaningful engagement with an audience. By connecting with the lived experiences of others, we keep the conversation alive and evolving.

Responsibility Rules

Ethics is best taught through simple acts: listening, and saying what you want sincerely (even if it means disagreeing). Through kindness, we teach and practice care—for ourselves and for one another—ensuring the safety and well-being of all.

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