Into Film appoint young NI Star as latest Industry Ambassador

 One of Northern Ireland’s most talented young actors has just been named as an Industry Ambassador for education charity Into Film. 

Thaddea Graham, star of BBC 3 hit drama, Wreck, joins Kenneth Branagh as Northern Ireland Ambassador, boosting Into Film’s work using film to enrich young people’s educational and cultural development. 

She is part of a group of actors and directors who share the charity’s aim of inspiring the next generation of talent. Other ambassadors include Eddie Redmayne, Michael Sheen and Naomie Harris. 

Her new role was announced as she visited Ashfield Girls High School in East Belfast to launch Into Film’s new Story Builder Key Stage 3 resource, aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in the screen industries by developing their interest in story-telling and film. 

Sean Kelly of Into Film in Northern Ireland said Thaddea’s visit would hopefully inspire more girls to consider a career in film and become the next generation of young female actors, directors, writers, producers and technicians. 

“We are delighted that Thaddea has become the second Northern Irish Ambassador for Into Film. She is an incredible talent and her success shows that there are fantastic opportunities for a career in the screen industries in Northern Ireland.” 

Thaddea plays the role of Vivian Lim in the comedy horror series Wreck, which was filmed entirely in Northern Ireland with support from Northern Ireland Screen and has just been renewed for a second season. She has also appeared in the hit BBC drama Us, Doctor Who and has just finished filming the latest series of Sex Education.  

Speaking about her new role for Into Film, Thaddea said she was keen to promote careers within the TV and Film Industry in Northern Ireland and would particularly like to see more young women follow her path. 

She added: “Opening the door even further to the industry at home is something I’ve always felt extremely passionate about, so I am deeply honoured and proud to be a Northern Ireland ambassador for Into Film. I’m so grateful to have spent the afternoon with the pupils at Ashfield, there is such a wealth of talent there, and it only solidified my belief that we need to encourage and support our young people by giving them the tools and opportunities to tell their own stories. I was so inspired by their very intelligent, heartfelt, emotionally rich and wildly creative pitches and found their imagination to be very infectious. It’s such a joy to watch them create and develop their own unique voices that need to be heard.” 

During her visit to the school, Thaddea spoke to 120 Year 10 pupils about her experiences. As they begin to make choices for their GCSEs, Into Film hope that some will be inspired to choose subjects such as Moving Image Arts, Media and Drama, which provide a pathway into one of Northern Ireland’s leading industries. 

After working with the young people as they completed their Story Builder project, the students then pitched their ideas to Thaddea. 

Teacher, Tracy Rossborough, who is Head of Media and Moving Image at Ashfield Girls’ High School has worked closely with Into Film to inspire her students. She was confident that Thaddea’s visit would encourage more young girls to look to a career in the screen industries. 

She said, “Over the years, Ashfield Girls’ has built up a strong Media and Moving Image department with a great deal of support from Into Film. They have provided film-making opportunities, industry placements and workshops with a range of successful experts in the area of media and film for the students and this had led to an increase in the uptake of these two subjects. The practical, hands-on element of these two creative subjects has opened many doors for our girls and I am confident that having a role model and Ambassador such as Thaddea will only serve to encourage more young women to pursue a career in this exciting industry.” 

As well as its resources for schools, Into Film runs ScreenWorks, a project funded by the Department for Communities through Northern Ireland Screen to help young people find out about potential careers in the screen industries through hands-on experience. 

Anne Dorbie, Northern Ireland Screen’s Chief Operating Officer said: “To future proof the screen industry in Northern Ireland, we must work together to ensure there is a skilled and experienced talent pipeline to continue to attract international productions for many years to come. Into Film’s new Story Builder Key Stage 3 resource is an innovative educational tool that will help inspire the next generation of storytellers.” 

For more information about the work of Into Film go to: www.intofilm.org