“I learned too how important it was to show the need for community and connection”
A Derry student has used his creativity skills to create a short film to highlight an incredibly important topic; adult loneliness.
Building A Village is a documentary on the importance of community and connection in 2026.
Made by North West Regional College journalism student Jonathan Cullen through his production banner Orbital Frame as well as North West Regional College, the 35-minute documentary short film highlights the last two years of community group Derry Meet Ups, now known as Clann&Co.
READ MORE: Derry Girls star to lead new sitcom Hopley Hall set in the Northern Irish countrysideREAD MORE: Derry foodbank “so grateful” to actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell after winning over £30k on Celebrity Catchphrase
Clann&Co recently celebrated its second birthday and has created a space for strangers to come together, switch off and enjoy human connection.
Jonathan said: “When 25% of those living in the Foyle constituency are battling with loneliness and community funding has been cut by 64% across Northern Ireland, we explore why community spaces like this matter now more than ever.”
Through interviews with founder Cassie Jane, members and facilitators, the film tells the story of what happens when people choose connection and what’s possible when community is treated as something worth protecting.
On hiatus from working in the videogame industry, having covered the industry for nearly 17 years, Jonathan is in the final few weeks of a Higher National Diploma degree in journalism at NWRC and directed, wrote, produced and edited Building A Village.
Jonathan also stars as a subject in the film as he himself is a member of Derry Meet Ups/Clann&Co.
He said: “When I first got the word we were doing a documentary assignment at NWRC, the first three words that sprang to mind immediately, like neon lights, were Derry Meet Ups.
“Not just because of the important work it has done within Derry, but because of what it means to me personally as a card-carrying member.
“In the time I’ve been with Derry Meet Ups and now Clann&Co, I’ve seen first-hand the power of community, connection, friendship and more it has provided.
“Pitching this documentary, it initially started as a way to show the appreciation and love I have for the organisation.
“And while that’s still very much true now, along the way, I learned too how important it was to show the need for community and connection, how they intertwine and how valuable they are in 2026 at a time when community funding in Northern Ireland has been slashed dramatically to below £10 million and when the Foyle constituency is the loneliest in all of Northern Ireland.
“There has been an incredible reception to Building A Village since it premiered at The Playhouse at the end of March that I am still not only taken aback by, but unable to put into words weeks afterwards.
“I hope people not only love it as much as I have had making it, but people come away watching it realising why there is such a fundamental need for community and connection than ever before.”
Building A Village can be watched here
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login