Cathy Brady is a Northern-Ireland born film director and screenwriter. After directing several award-winning short films and some television episodes in the 2010s, she wrote and directed her first feature film, '' Wildfire'' in 2020. She studied visual arts at Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) but became interested in film and transferred to the

National Film School of Ireland The National Film School of Ireland is part of the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, in its Faculty of Film, Art and Creative Technologies. Launched in 2003, it acts as a "centre of excellence" for film, animation, broadcast ...

to complete her degree. She has an MA in directing fiction from the

National Film and Television School The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2021 ranking by ''The Hollywood Repor ...

(NFTS). She grew up in Newry in Northern Ireland and lives in

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origina ...

, Sussex, England with her

dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of c ...

dog Betty. She chose to live in Sussex because she "didn't want to be typecast as an Irish film-maker".

Selected filmography

*''Small Change'' (2010, short) * ''Rough Skin'' (2011, shown in Channel 4's '' Coming Up'' series) *''Kiss'' (2012, short) * ''Morning'' (2012, short) * ''Wasted'' (2013, short) *'' Wildfire'' (2020, feature)

Television work

*''

Glue Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advant ...

'' (one episode, 2014) *''

Can't Cope, Won't Cope ''Can't Cope, Won't Cope'' is an Irish comedy-drama television series. It was created by Stefanie Preissner and produced for RTÉ2 in 2016. Seána Kerslake played fund manager Aisling and Nika McGuigan played art student Danielle. They are twent ...

'' (six episodes, 2016)

Awards

''Small Change'' (2010) won "Best first short by an Irish director" at the 2010

Cork International Film Festival The Cork International Film Festival, also known as the Cork Film Festival (), is a film festival held annually in Cork City, Ireland. It was established in 1956 as part of An Tóstal An Tóstal (, meaning "The Gathering") was the name for a ser ...

(CIFF), "Best short film" at the Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF), and "Best short film" at the IFTA Film & Drama Awards (IFTAs). ''Morning '' (2012) won the "Best short film" IFTA, the "XX" award of the 2013 Underwire Film Festival and the Prix UIP Cork (European Short Film) at the CIFF. ''Wasted'' competed at the 2013 Edinburgh International Film Festival. '' Wildfire'' won Brady the 2021

British Independent Film Award for Best Debut Screenwriter The British Independent Film Award for Best Debut Screenwriter is an annual award given by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) to recognize the best British debut screenwriter. The award was first presented in the 2016 ceremony. According ...

, and she was also nominated for

British Independent Film Award – The Douglas Hickox Award The Douglas Hickox Award, also named The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) is an annual award given by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) to recognize the best British debut director. The name of the awards is in honour of Britis ...

for a debut director. At the 2020

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. The festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 feature films and 150 ...

she won the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award of £50,000, awarded to a first or second-time director.

References

External links

* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Irish women film directors Irish women screenwriters People from Newry People from Hastings Alumni of Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology Alumni of the National Film and Television School 21st-century women from Northern Ireland {{Ireland-film-director-stub