Tiffs executive director and chief operating officer michele maheux, who. Limerick, gleeson is the third generation of his family to enter the film business. Her television credits include bafta tv awardnominated fingersmith, forgive and forget, roughnecks and the multi award winning bbc one film sinners, as well as wallander. A directory of irish film and television directors and assistant. Colin farrell narrates documentary about irish film. I am going to take a punt and assert that this is the first occasion the irish times s films of the year have featured two successive colombian submissions for the best foreign film oscar in. After his diagnosis with motor neurone disease mnd and despite being completely paralysed, simon fitzmaurice still directed his first feature film my name is emily. Irish filmmaker simon fitzmaurice shepherded his passion project, my. He directed my name is emily while living with the condition in 2015. With simon fitzmaurice, ruth fitzmaurice, damien fitzmaurice, florence fitzmaurice.
Its not yet dark tells the ground breaking story of simon fitzmaurice, a talented young irish film maker with als mnd, as he embarks on directing his first feature film through the use of his eyes and eye gaze technology. Simon fitzmaurice can only move his eyes but incredibly still managed to write a bestselling book and direct a movie. The wellknown irish film director and author simon fitzmaurice has died at the age of 43. Though dublinborn director lenny abrahamson has yet to have had a film with a huge box office gross, his inventive, lowbudget movies frank. Speaking to the sunday independent ahead of the film s premiere at the audi dublin international film festival last night.
The irish film institute presents alive alive o a requiem for dublin irish film institute. His grandfather opened up the regal cinema, cappamore, in the early 1940s, and his father. Irish film director lenny abrahamson picks his favorite irish film institute movies. Irish filmmaker simon fitzmaurice is in front of the camera at sundance this weekend for a documentary on how his life has been affected by motor neurone disease, writes esther mccarthy.
Directed by kristen sheridan and based on the play by enda walsh, the movie focuses on a group of dublin teens as they break into a mansion. Since he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2008, wicklow film maker simon fitzmaurice hasnt been outside of ireland. Irish director seamus murphy has revealed details of his ongoing plans for a new documentary film about muchloved dublin poet pat ingoldsby. We provide professional training courses in filmmaking, film production, visual fx and the business of film production. Remembering irish filmmaker simon fitzmaurice tiff. Its not yet dark tells the ground breaking story of simon fitzmaurice, a talented young irish film maker with als mnd, as he embarks on directing his first. The republic of ireland and northern ireland have become attractive locations for film production companies. Film director shankar shanmugham seriously injured as. Click below for company listings to irish feature, tv, broadcast, animation, short film companies and many more. Irish film school learn the craft and business of filmmaking from world class instructors. Its not yet dark documented simons battle with motor neurone disease and his determination to live life to the fullest in the face of the debilitating condition.
Director lee cronin on new irish horror the hole in the. Irelands 8 most successful film directors liveabout. Its not yet dark tells the ground breaking story of simon fitzmaurice, a talented young irish film maker with als mnd, as he embarks on directing his first feature film through the use of his. The irish directors new film, my name is emily, was made as he struggled with a deadly disease. These 5 remarkable directors are why irish films are magic. Here we will take a look at seven of the very best and most memorable motion pictures depicting the country, its history and its people. Motor neurone disease hasnt stopped simon fitzmaurice. Filmmaker simon fitzmaurice on battling als and new memoir. Its not yet dark tells the ground breaking story of simon fitzmaurice. Simon has had to live with mnd or als for almost a decade now, and. After his short film screened at the sundance film festival in 2008, a euphoric simon fitzmaurice was walking the snowy streets of park city, utah, when his foot began to hurt.
Hollywood star colin farrell has done the voice over for an inspirational documentary about an irish director with mnd. In 2008, multiaward winning writer and film director simon fitzmaurice was diagnosed with als, known as motor neuron disease mnd in ireland, but he has continued to pursue a successful career and happy family life. Zambianwelsh director rungano nyonis provocative satire revolves around a young girl sentenced to life imprisonment at a staterun witch camp. Film director shankar shanmugham has been seriously injured on the set of his latest film in an accident that has killed two of his assistants. Irish filmmaker simon fitzmaurice has died aged 43 rte. Director lee cronin on new irish horror the hole in the ground david roy chats to co dublin writer director lee cronin about the release of his debut feature the hole in the ground, a. In 2008, when director simon fitzmaurice was being feted as. Awardwinning irish film director screenwriter ireland. Director simon fitzmaurices funeral told of love of life, family. York back to dublin and looking for work as a freelance assistant director. Seeing this documentary, one of such a vast scale and of a global interest, come from an irish director, with a crew with a large irish contingent, coproduced by the irish film board, is a matter. This irish film directory is comprised of films held in the ifi irish film archive and elsewhere that may be available for film exhibition by cultural exhibitors through ifi international. Irish film director mary mcguckian, whose most recent film is the price of desire 2016, has directed 12 films to date, an impressive figure when one considers the challenges female directors in particular have faced in the male dominated world of. Awardwinning filmmaker simon fitzmaurice was just 33 when he was diagnosed with a.
Leading irish film director simon fitzmaurice has died just weeks after a groundbreaking documentary about his life was released. With today being international womens day we are taking a look at ten of the best films now available to watch on vod from irish female directors. My name is emily is a road movie of sorts, the tale of a irish. Irish writer director simon fitzmaurice made his debut feature, my name is emily, after falling into paralysis with als, which forced him to use an irisrecognition program to communicate. Screen ireland supports writers, directors and production companies by providing investment loans for the development, production and distribution of film, television and animation projects. Simon has five children with ruth, including twins who. Alive alive o a look at dublin in the 90s from the ifi. Calls poignant new memoir a letter to each of my children. Can a moviemaker deprived of the ability to speak direct a film through his eyes alone. Irish filmmaker simon fitzmaurice shepherded his passion project, my name is emily, through to completion despite his diagnosis of als lou.
The irish film school was founded by worldfamous film director john boorman and leading film producer and financier kieran corrigan. Explore the most successful irish film directors, including lenny abrahamson room, john crowley brooklyn, and john carney once. Kitty hart was an amateur actor with more than ten years stage experience. Fitzmaurice wrote about living with motor neurone disease in memoir its not yet dark. Irish filmmaker simon fitzmaurice, whose first feature my name is emily screened at tiff 15, has died at the age of 43.
A resident of greystones, county wicklow, fitzmaurice published a memoir titled its not yet dark in 2014 about his experience with motor neurone disease. Simon fitzmaurice, irish film director with mnd als at. Awardwinning irish film director and screenwriter fiona ashe makes dark political thrillers about social injustice, global terrorism, war in africa, political corruption and the exploitation of natural resources. Powers, who was playing the lead in the film, was thrown from a horse on 661920 and died on 2261920 from his injuries. During the filming at leopardstown racecourse, dublin, of his next film, an irish vendetta, from a nat gould novel. Filmmaker finishes film project with advanced als als news. Cahir odoherty calls it the irish documentary film of the year, if not the decade. Irish director jim sheridan reacts to authors criticism of his movie. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all films held in the ifi irish film archive, or of all irish cinema, but it is representative of the broad scope of screenable titles dating from 1897 to the. Motor neurone disease hasnt stopped simon fitzmaurice from writing and directing one of the best films of the year writer director simon fitzmaurice with wife ruth fitzmaurice, who learned she. Pdf interview with irish film director mary mcguckian. The following 115 pages are in this category, out of 115 total. Colin farrell narrates its not yet dark, the spare and profoundly moving new irish documentary about simon fitzmaurice, the young dublin film.
Simon fitzmaurice, irish film director with mnd als at the toronto international film festival, with thanks to support from culture ireland. His debut feature film beyond the woods was released in 2018 to critical acclaim, and it was empire magazines dtv must see in the june 2018 edition of the magazine. Ian fitzgibbon father ted fans might well recognize fitzgibbon for his role as father jessop the most sarcastic priest in ireland, but hes also a rising star as a director, both on tv skys offbeat comedy moone boy, now in its second series, or rtes oddcouple. Jamie uys was an internationally acclaimed film director who completed 24 films. David gleeson born in limerick is an irish film director and writer. Jim sheridan is a master storyteller, and an acclaimed film director of few films, but good films nevertheless.
Simon fitzmaurice, director of my name is emily, spoke to variety at the toronto film festival about his als and feature debut. Fitzmaurice, who was in his early forties, directed two shorts, including one which was nominated at. This list may not reflect recent changes learn more. His award winning films have been screened at film festivals all over the world.
The writer and director simon fitzmaurice at his studio in ireland. The best irish movies you must see ireland has been the setting of a seemingly endless assortment of films, spanning almost every genre you could think of. Irish filmmaker simon fitzmaurice shepherded his passion project, my name is emily, through to completion despite his diagnosis of als lou gehrigs disease. Aisling walsh is an irish writer director whose film credits include the awardwinning song for a raggy boy. We also fund a range of short film schemes to develop talent.
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