You can't handle the youth!

The talent of Irish youth will shine bright next month as budding filmmakers prepare to show their latest work in Cork.

The annual First Cut! Youth Film Festival takes place next month and will showcase new films created by young Irish and international talent aged between 12 and 24.

This year the event, which began back in 2010, received a record number of submissions which have now been painstakingly whittled down to just over 100 short films.

At the end of the four-day event, a special award titled Cork Film Festival Award will be presented to an outstanding young filmmaker from the 18 to 24 age category, whose film will then be automatically submitted for consideration for the 65th Cork Film Festival in November.

The festival also received a significant number of submissions for the Youth Music Video Competition category.

Commenting on the calibre of entrants, Max Le Cain, Head Programmer of First Cut! Youth Film Festival said: “Each year the talent gets better and better which is hugely encouraging to see, even more so because of the record number of submissions we received this year. We received a broad range of films which will make for some great viewing at the festival.”

The event also offers screenings, workshops and talks by film industry professionals where young filmmakers can meet and mingle with their peers.

This year the red carpet will be rolled out for special guest, renowned documentary maker Ken Wardrop, the man behind multi-award winning film ‘Undressing my Mother’.

The First Cut! Youth Film Festival takes place from 11-14 March at the Mall Arts Centre and the Regal Cinema in Youghal. The festival’s 2020 programme will be announced shortly. For more see firstcutfilmfestival.com.