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family · Monday 20 July 2026 · Daytime - Monday to Friday weekly format 
Cork Young Filmmakers Summer Filmmaking Workshop 2026
At Various locations across Co. Cork · County Cork
At Various locations across Co. Cork · County Cork
A week spent making an actual film - not watching one, not reading about one, but writing, shooting, and editing one from scratch - is a different kind of summer. Cork Young Filmmakers runs intensive five-day workshops across Co. Cork each July and August, giving teenagers aged 14 to 18 a proper grounding in the craft using professional equipment from Cork Film Centre. The 2026 programme kicks off on 20 July and runs weekly across several Cork towns through to 1 August. It suits anyone who has ever held a phone up and thought seriously about what they were doing with it, as well as those who have never touched a camera in their life.
Each workshop runs Monday to Friday, 10am to 4.30pm, with a group of around 15 young people working together to produce a short film by Friday. No previous experience is needed. Participants rotate through every crew role - script to directing, cinematography, lighting, sound, and editing - so everyone gets a full picture of how a film is made rather than being slotted into one job.
Cork Film Centre’s Garda-vetted tutors lead the sessions, supplying professional camera and audio kit throughout. The curriculum covers storytelling, scriptwriting, direction, cinematography, sound design, lighting, and post-production editing. Past participants have described the week as building confidence as much as technical skill, and there is a real creative incentive at the end: finished films have been screened at the First Cut! Youth Film Festival, which is the dedicated youth film event for Cork.
The cost is €75 per participant. Booking is by email to corkyoungfilmmakers@gmail.com - you send your name, contact details, age, and a brief note on your interest. Places go on a first-come, first-served basis and sell out each year, so getting in early is worth it.
Workshops take place in different Cork towns - venues confirmed at booking have included Midleton, Mallow, Cobh, Macroom, and Bandon. Each is reachable from Cork city. Midleton and Cobh are on the commuter rail line from Cork Kent Station, which is a straightforward option for families. Mallow is on the main Cork-Dublin rail line. Macroom and Bandon are accessible by Bus Eireann from Cork city’s Parnell Place interchange. If you are driving, parking in most of these towns is easy and generally free or low-cost outside the city centre.
A film camp week gives the family a good reason to explore a part of the county most visitors skip - Cobh’s Victorian waterfront, the market town of Midleton, or the Mizen and Beara peninsulas a drive further south. There is more to see in Cork and across Co. Cork.
Heading to Various locations across Co. Cork in Cork? Cork has plenty more to see. Read the Cork area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.