Mary McGuckian (born 27 May 1963) is a film director, producer and screenwriter from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
Early life
Born and brought up in Northern Ireland during
The Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
, McGuckian completed her formal education in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
at
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
(TCD), where she took a degree in engineering. It was during this time that she became involved with Trinity Players, appearing in many productions as well as producing, designing, directing and lighting various others.
Career
Her interest in theatre and politics led her to follow an
autodidact
Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...
ic post graduate education in literature, theatre, acting and directing on various courses in London, Paris and Italy. During which time she wrote a number of avant-garde plays that were produced in England and Ireland. Most acclaimed was her long-running stage adaptation of
Brian Merriman
Brian Merriman or in Irish Brian Mac Giolla Meidhre (c. 1747 – 27 July 1805) was an Irish language bard, farmer, and hedge school teacher from rural County Clare. His single surviving work of substance, the 1000-line long Dream vision poem ( ...
's poem "''
The Midnight Court
Brian Merriman or in Irish Brian Mac Giolla Meidhre (c. 1747 – 27 July 1805) was an Irish language bard, farmer, and hedge school teacher from rural County Clare. His single surviving work of substance, the 1000-line long Dream vision poem ...
''".
Returning to Ireland, she continued to work as an actor and playwright and was invited to write screenplays in the emergent Irish film industry of the early 1990s. She set up her own company, Pembridge, to develop and produce feature film projects. The company was active as a co-producer on many Irish feature films and produced three films in Ireland which she wrote and directed: ''
Words Upon the Window Pane
''Words Upon the Window Pane'' is a 1994 Irish drama film directed by Mary McGuckian and starring Geraldine Chaplin, Ian Richardson, and Jim Sheridan. McGuckian directorial debut, it is based on William Butler Yeats' one-act play of the same name ...
'', (adapted from the play by
W.B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
) in 1994, ''
This Is the Sea
''This Is the Sea'' is the third The Waterboys album, and the last of their "Big Music" albums. Considered by critics to be the finest album of their early rock-oriented sound, described as "epic" and "a defining moment", it was the first Waterb ...
'' (an adaptation of her own play ''Hazel'') in 1996, and ''
Best
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
'' (the life story of Northern Irish footballer
George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest pla ...
) in 1999.
In 2001, she established Pembridge Pictures in the UK to develop and finance her adaptation of
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...
's ''
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year.
Premise
''The Bri ...
'', which was shot in Spain and released in May 2004. Unhappy with the outcome of editorial interference by some of the film's producers, she did not support the release of the film.
This lead her to work on more modern filmmaking styles and she developed a process combining modern script narrative forms and extended character development work with collaborating actors who then improvise their own dialogue directly on set. ''
Rag Tale
''Rag Tale'' is a 2005 British comedy film directed by Mary McGuckian. It received mainly negative reviews.
Cast
* Rupert Graves - Editor - The Rag, Eddy Somerset Taylor
* Jennifer Jason Leigh - Deputy Editor - The Rag, Mary Josephine (MJ) Mor ...
'', (2004) the first film of her "amorality trilogy", was conceived in this way and was followed by
''Intervention'', (2007) and ''
Inconceivable,'' (2008). Many of the revolving cast won awards for their work on the series and the exceptional ensemble revolved an international company of actors that included
Lothaire Bluteau
Lothaire Bluteau (born 14 April 1957) is a Canadian actor.
Biography
He was born in Montreal, Quebec, and performs in both French and English. Bluteau has worked in theatre, film and television throughout Canada and internationally. He aban ...
,
Geraldine Chaplin
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress. She is the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of eight children with his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill. After beginnings in dance and modeling, she turned her attention to act ...
,
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English film, television and voice actor, director, narrator and writer. He was twice nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his roles in ''A Room with a View (1985 ...
,
Donna D'Errico,
Lucy Davis
Lucy Clare Davis (born 17 February 1973) is an English actress best known for playing Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy ''The Office'' (2001–2003).
She is also known for her roles as Hilda Spellman in the Netflix series '' The Chilling Adventur ...
,
Michael Eklund
Michael Eklund is a Canadian television and film actor who is known for playing the role of the villain or antihero. His characters are often described as being "creepy".
His roles include a kidnapper who terrorizes characters played by Halle ...
,
Kerry Fox
Kerry Lauren Fox (born 30 July 1966) is a New Zealand actress. She came to prominence playing author Janet Frame in the movie ''An Angel at My Table'' directed by Jane Campion, which gained her a Best Actress Award from the New Zealand Film and ...
,
Rupert Graves
Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in ''A Room with a View'', ''Maurice'', ''The Madness of King George'' and ''The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he starred ...
,
Ian Hart
Ian Davies (born 8 October 1964), better known by his stage name Ian Hart, is an English actor. His most notable roles are Rabbit in the Channel Four drama miniseries ''One Summer'' (1983), Joe O'Reilly in the biopic ''Michael Collins'' (1996) ...
,
David Hayman,
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She ...
,
Suzan-Lori Parks
Suzan-Lori Parks (born May 10, 1963) is an American playwright, screenwriter, musician and novelist. Her 2001 play ''Topdog/Underdog'' won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002; Parks was the first African-American woman to receive the award for d ...
,
Cal MacAninch,
Andie MacDowell,
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is a British actor, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Alex DeLarge in ''A Clockwork Orange.'' He was born in the Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised in ...
,
Elizabeth McGovern,
Jordi Molla
Jordi () is the Catalan form of the ancient Greek name Georgios. Jordi is a popular name in Catalonia and is also given in the Netherlands and in Spanish-, English- and German-speaking countries.
Jordi may also refer to:
*Sant Jordi – patron sa ...
,
Bill Patterson,
Amanda Plummer,
John Sessions
John Marshall (11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020), better known by the stage name John Sessions, was a British actor and comedian. He was known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', as a panellist o ...
,
Sarah Stockbridge and
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sat ...
.
The company of cast and crew involved in the making of the 'amorality trilogy' went on to make the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
satirical comedy ''
The Making of Plus One
''The Making of Plus One'' is a 2010 British-Canadian comedy film about the independent filmmaking industry. The film was set and shot at the Cannes Film Festival and takes a satirical look at the film industry's obsession with celebrity. It was ...
''. It was completed and presented during the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
in May 2009.
In 2010 she wrote and directed an English language version of
Man on the Train starring
Larry Mullen Jr
Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2.
Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...
and
Donald Sutherland, based on
Patrice LeConte
Patrice Leconte (; born 12 November 1947) is a French film director, actor, comic strip writer, and screenwriter.
Life and career
Leconte grew up in Tours, and began making little amateur films at 15. He went to Paris in 1967 and studied at Insti ...
's
L'Homme du Train
''The Man on the Train'' (french: L'homme du train) is a 2002 French crime-drama film directed by Patrice Leconte, starring Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday. It was re-titled ''Man on the Train'' in the USA.
The film was shot in Annonay, Fr ...
originally starring
Johnny Hallyday
Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France.
During a career spanning 57 ...
and
Jean Rochefort
Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999.
Life and career
Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to ...
.
In 2012 she worked with
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in ''King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes fo ...
on an improvised film entitled The Novelist. The film was never completed.
Her more recent films have focussed on female empowerment stories and include:
''The Price of Desire'' (2015) which is the story of the inception of 20th-century architecture told in the context of how
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
completely erased the legacy of Irish Architect and Designer
Eileen Gray
Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 187831 October 1976) was an Irish architect and furniture designer who became a pioneer of the Modern architecture, Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, she was associated w ...
. The cast included Irish actress
Orla Brady
Orla Brady (born 28 March 1961) is an Irish theatre, television, and film actress born in Dublin. She has been nominated for several awards from the Irish Film & Television Academy for her work in televised programs, as well as starring in the ...
as Eileen Gray, Swiss actor
Vincent Perez
Vincent Perez (born 10 June 1964) is a Swiss actor, director and photographer. He played the title character, Ashe Corven, in '' The Crow: City of Angels'', and starred in ''Queen of the Damned'', playing Marius de Romanus. Some of his films in ...
as her nemesis
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
and
Francesco Scianna
Francesco Scianna (born 25 March 1982 in Palermo, Italy) is an Italian actor.
Biography
Early education and career
Francesco Scianna began his acting career in theater, debuting in 1997 with the recital of poems by Salvatore Quasimodo, "CEI". ...
as well as
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
. The film premiered at the 2015 Jameson
Dublin International Film Festival
The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Dublin, Ireland, since 2003.
History
Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer, international film critic and ' ...
.
''A Girl from Mogadishu'' (2019) which stars
Aja Naomi King
Aja Naomi King (; born January 11, 1985) is an American actress. She played Michaela Pratt in ''How to Get Away with Murder''. She began her career in guest-starring roles on television, and starred as Cassandra Kopelson in The CW medical comedy ...
,
Barkhad Abdi
Barkhad Abdi ( so, Barkhad Cabdi; born April 10, 1985) is a Somali-American actor. He made his acting debut as Somali pirate Abduwali Muse in the biographical drama film '' Captain Phillips'' (2013), which earned him a British Academy Film Awar ...
and
Maryam Mursals in the story of Irish Somali activist,
Ifrah Ahmed's journey from war-torn
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
to global activist. It premiered at the 2019
Dublin International Film Festival
The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Dublin, Ireland, since 2003.
History
Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer, international film critic and ' ...
and
Edinburgh International Film Festival, and it won the Audience Award at the 42nd edition of the
Mill Valley Film Festival
The Mill Valley Film Festival is an annual American film festival founded in 1977.
History
In October 1977, Mark Fishkin, Rita Cahill and Lois Cole organized a three-day film festival. It featured three film tributes, Francis Ford Coppola's ''T ...
. Other awards included the Audience and Jury awards at the Semaine de Cinema Britannique in France and the
Cinema For Peace Foundation
The Cinema for Peace Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany. It supports film-based projects dealing with global humanitarian and environmental issues, and coordinates the Cinema for Peace awards.
History
T ...
award for its contribution to Women's Empowerment during the 2020
Berlin Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
.
Personal life
She was married to
John Lynch in 1997. They separated in 2008.
Filmography
Director
*2022 - ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey Remastered ''
*2018 - ''
A Girl from Mogadishu
''A Girl from Mogadishu'' is an Irish-Belgian film. It is a somewhat fictionalized story based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, who having escaped war-torn Somalia, emerged as one of the world’s foremost international activists against gender-b ...
''
*2014 - ''
The Price of Desire
''The Price of Desire'' is a 2015 Belgian-Irish biographical drama film directed by Mary McGuckian.
Premise
The film revolves around Eileen Gray's E-1027 villa, one of the first homes Gray designed and also one of the first homes of the modern arc ...
''
*2011 - ''The Novelist''
*2011 - ''
Man on the Train''
*2010 - ''
The Making of Plus One
''The Making of Plus One'' is a 2010 British-Canadian comedy film about the independent filmmaking industry. The film was set and shot at the Cannes Film Festival and takes a satirical look at the film industry's obsession with celebrity. It was ...
''
*2008 - ''
Inconceivable''
*2007 - ''
Intervention''
*2005 - ''
Rag Tale
''Rag Tale'' is a 2005 British comedy film directed by Mary McGuckian. It received mainly negative reviews.
Cast
* Rupert Graves - Editor - The Rag, Eddy Somerset Taylor
* Jennifer Jason Leigh - Deputy Editor - The Rag, Mary Josephine (MJ) Mor ...
''
*2004 - ''
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year.
Premise
''The Bri ...
''
*2000 - ''
Best
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
''
*1997 - ''
This Is the Sea
''This Is the Sea'' is the third The Waterboys album, and the last of their "Big Music" albums. Considered by critics to be the finest album of their early rock-oriented sound, described as "epic" and "a defining moment", it was the first Waterb ...
''
*1994 - ''
Words Upon the Window Pane
''Words Upon the Window Pane'' is a 1994 Irish drama film directed by Mary McGuckian and starring Geraldine Chaplin, Ian Richardson, and Jim Sheridan. McGuckian directorial debut, it is based on William Butler Yeats' one-act play of the same name ...
''
Screenwriter
*2018 - ''
A Girl from Mogadishu
''A Girl from Mogadishu'' is an Irish-Belgian film. It is a somewhat fictionalized story based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, who having escaped war-torn Somalia, emerged as one of the world’s foremost international activists against gender-b ...
''
*2014 - ''
The Price of Desire
''The Price of Desire'' is a 2015 Belgian-Irish biographical drama film directed by Mary McGuckian.
Premise
The film revolves around Eileen Gray's E-1027 villa, one of the first homes Gray designed and also one of the first homes of the modern arc ...
''
*2011 - ''The Novelist''
*2011 - ''
Man on the Train''
*2010 - ''
The Making of Plus One
''The Making of Plus One'' is a 2010 British-Canadian comedy film about the independent filmmaking industry. The film was set and shot at the Cannes Film Festival and takes a satirical look at the film industry's obsession with celebrity. It was ...
''
*2008 - ''
Inconceivable''
*2007 - ''
Intervention''
*2005 - ''
Rag Tale
''Rag Tale'' is a 2005 British comedy film directed by Mary McGuckian. It received mainly negative reviews.
Cast
* Rupert Graves - Editor - The Rag, Eddy Somerset Taylor
* Jennifer Jason Leigh - Deputy Editor - The Rag, Mary Josephine (MJ) Mor ...
''
*2004 - ''
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year.
Premise
''The Bri ...
''
*2000 - ''
Best
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
''
*1997 - ''
This Is the Sea
''This Is the Sea'' is the third The Waterboys album, and the last of their "Big Music" albums. Considered by critics to be the finest album of their early rock-oriented sound, described as "epic" and "a defining moment", it was the first Waterb ...
''
*1994 - ''
Words Upon the Windowpane''
Producer
*2022 - ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey Remastered ''
*2018 - ''
A Girl from Mogadishu
''A Girl from Mogadishu'' is an Irish-Belgian film. It is a somewhat fictionalized story based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, who having escaped war-torn Somalia, emerged as one of the world’s foremost international activists against gender-b ...
''
*2014 - ''
The Price of Desire
''The Price of Desire'' is a 2015 Belgian-Irish biographical drama film directed by Mary McGuckian.
Premise
The film revolves around Eileen Gray's E-1027 villa, one of the first homes Gray designed and also one of the first homes of the modern arc ...
''
*2011 - ''The Novelist''
*2011 - ''
Man on the Train''
*2010 - ''
The Making of Plus One
''The Making of Plus One'' is a 2010 British-Canadian comedy film about the independent filmmaking industry. The film was set and shot at the Cannes Film Festival and takes a satirical look at the film industry's obsession with celebrity. It was ...
''
*2008 - ''
Inconceivable''
*2007 - ''
Intervention''
*2005 - ''
Ragtale''
*2004 - ''
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year.
Premise
''The Bri ...
''
*2000 - ''
Best
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
''
*1997 - ''
This Is the Sea
''This Is the Sea'' is the third The Waterboys album, and the last of their "Big Music" albums. Considered by critics to be the finest album of their early rock-oriented sound, described as "epic" and "a defining moment", it was the first Waterb ...
''
*1994 - ''
Words Upon the Windowpane''
References
External links
*
* http://pembridge.pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuckian, Mary
1965 births
Living people
British film directors
English-language film directors
British women film directors
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin