John Carney (director)
Encyclopedia
John Carney is an Irish
film and TV writer/director who specialises in low-budget indie films. He is best known for his award-winning 2007 movie Once
. He is also a co-creator of the Irish TV drama series Bachelors Walk
.
between 1991 and 1993 and also directed some of their music video
s.
In addition to shooting music videos, Carney also wrote and directed two award-winning short films (Shining Star and Hotel) before making his first feature. With fellow film-maker Tom Hall, Carney wrote and directed November Afternoon, his first feature film, in 1996. Despite a limited release, it was acclaimed as the "Film of the Year" by the Irish Times. The low-budget drama, shot in black and white, tells the story of two couples whose relationships begin to crumble over an eventful weekend. Carney himself provided a jazz score for the soundtrack.
After making a one-hour TV companion piece for the film enitled Just in Time, Carney's next film was the edgy drama Park, which premiered at the Dublin Film Festival. Written and co-directed by Carney and Tom Hall once again, the drama about a girl who is abused by a paedophile was released in 1999. It did not secure a wide release.
Two years later, in 2001, he co-wrote and directed On the Edge. The film starred Cillian Murphy
and Stephen Rea
and was released through Universal Studios
. He was awarded the Silver Hitchcock Award for On the Edge at the 2001 Dinard Festival of British Cinema. The film, which was co-written by Daniel James, was released in the USA with the title Catch the Sun.
Carney returned to TV writing and directing during the same year. He co-wrote and co-directed (with his brother Kieran Carney and Tom Hall) the hugely successful RTÉ TV series Bachelors Walk
. The independently produced TV series proved the most successful in Irish television history. The series ran for three seasons. He also directs The Modest Adventures of David O Doherty for RTÉ, starring Irish comedian O'Doherty and performed on the single "Orange", released by O'Doherty during the making of one of the series' episodes.
In 2003, he co-directed and co-wrote Zonad with Ciarán Carney and Tom Hall. A story about an escaped convict who fools a whole Irish village into thinking he's a visitor from outer space, the film starred Simon Delaney and Cillian Murphy
, Zonad was extremely low-budget and was never released.
In 2006, Carney directed the feature movie Once. A music drama, the movie stars The Frames
frontman Glen Hansard
and Czech musician Markéta Irglová
. First released at the Galway Film Fleadh, Once had its official world release at the Sundance Film Festival
in January 2007 and won the World Cinema Audience Award in the category Dramatic. A low-budget affair shot for only $160,000, Once was hugely successful, grossing $7 million worldwide in its first 3 months of release. Legendary film-maker Steven Spielberg is quoted as saying, "Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year." When told of this during an interview with Sky News, Carney replied, "In the end of the day, he's just a man with a beard." Carney was wearing a beard at the time. As writer and director of Once, Carney won the Most Promising Newcomer award in the Evening Standard British Film Awards
2007.
On the heels of Onces success, Carney was able work on a full-fledged version of Zonad
, which was released in March 2010.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
film and TV writer/director who specialises in low-budget indie films. He is best known for his award-winning 2007 movie Once
Once (film)
Once is a 2006 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney. Set in Dublin, this naturalistic drama stars musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as musicians...
. He is also a co-creator of the Irish TV drama series Bachelors Walk
Bachelors Walk
Bachelors Walk was a comedy-drama based around three single men living in a house in Dublin’s Bachelors Walk. The drama was shot in and around Dublin. The programme was first broadcast on RTÉ on 1 October 2001...
.
Life and career
Carney was born in Dublin. He was bassist for Irish rock band The FramesThe Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
between 1991 and 1993 and also directed some of their music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s.
In addition to shooting music videos, Carney also wrote and directed two award-winning short films (Shining Star and Hotel) before making his first feature. With fellow film-maker Tom Hall, Carney wrote and directed November Afternoon, his first feature film, in 1996. Despite a limited release, it was acclaimed as the "Film of the Year" by the Irish Times. The low-budget drama, shot in black and white, tells the story of two couples whose relationships begin to crumble over an eventful weekend. Carney himself provided a jazz score for the soundtrack.
After making a one-hour TV companion piece for the film enitled Just in Time, Carney's next film was the edgy drama Park, which premiered at the Dublin Film Festival. Written and co-directed by Carney and Tom Hall once again, the drama about a girl who is abused by a paedophile was released in 1999. It did not secure a wide release.
Two years later, in 2001, he co-wrote and directed On the Edge. The film starred Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy is an Irish film and theatre actor. He is often noted by critics for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles and distinctive blue eyes and general sex appeal....
and Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in high profile films such as V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto...
and was released through Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. He was awarded the Silver Hitchcock Award for On the Edge at the 2001 Dinard Festival of British Cinema. The film, which was co-written by Daniel James, was released in the USA with the title Catch the Sun.
Carney returned to TV writing and directing during the same year. He co-wrote and co-directed (with his brother Kieran Carney and Tom Hall) the hugely successful RTÉ TV series Bachelors Walk
Bachelors Walk
Bachelors Walk was a comedy-drama based around three single men living in a house in Dublin’s Bachelors Walk. The drama was shot in and around Dublin. The programme was first broadcast on RTÉ on 1 October 2001...
. The independently produced TV series proved the most successful in Irish television history. The series ran for three seasons. He also directs The Modest Adventures of David O Doherty for RTÉ, starring Irish comedian O'Doherty and performed on the single "Orange", released by O'Doherty during the making of one of the series' episodes.
In 2003, he co-directed and co-wrote Zonad with Ciarán Carney and Tom Hall. A story about an escaped convict who fools a whole Irish village into thinking he's a visitor from outer space, the film starred Simon Delaney and Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy is an Irish film and theatre actor. He is often noted by critics for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles and distinctive blue eyes and general sex appeal....
, Zonad was extremely low-budget and was never released.
In 2006, Carney directed the feature movie Once. A music drama, the movie stars The Frames
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
frontman Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season...
and Czech musician Markéta Irglová
Markéta Irglová
Markéta Irglová is a Czech songwriter, musician, actress, and singer. As of 2010, she resides in New York City.-Early life:...
. First released at the Galway Film Fleadh, Once had its official world release at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in January 2007 and won the World Cinema Audience Award in the category Dramatic. A low-budget affair shot for only $160,000, Once was hugely successful, grossing $7 million worldwide in its first 3 months of release. Legendary film-maker Steven Spielberg is quoted as saying, "Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year." When told of this during an interview with Sky News, Carney replied, "In the end of the day, he's just a man with a beard." Carney was wearing a beard at the time. As writer and director of Once, Carney won the Most Promising Newcomer award in the Evening Standard British Film Awards
Evening Standard British Film Awards
The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous...
2007.
On the heels of Onces success, Carney was able work on a full-fledged version of Zonad
Zonad
Zonad is a film by John Carney and Kieran Carney that premiered in July 2009 at the Galway Film Fleadh with the directors in attendance.The film went to general release in Ireland March 19, 2010.- Plot :...
, which was released in March 2010.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 1996 in film Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:... |
November Afternoon | Director, Co-writer | Limited release |
| 1999 1999 in film The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep... |
Park | Director, Co-writer | |
| 2001 2001 in film The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy... |
On the Edge | Director, Co-writer | |
| 2006 2006 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006... |
Once | Director, Writer | Wins Academy Award for Best Original Song |
| 2009 2009 in film The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note... |
Zonad Zonad Zonad is a film by John Carney and Kieran Carney that premiered in July 2009 at the Galway Film Fleadh with the directors in attendance.The film went to general release in Ireland March 19, 2010.- Plot :... |
Director, Co-writer | |