Aoife McArdle facts for kids
Aoife McArdle (pronounced EE-fa) is a talented Irish writer, director, and cinematographer. She works on movies, TV shows, music videos, and even commercials. She has won important awards like the IFTA Rising Star Award and the WFTV Best Director Award. She has also been nominated for prestigious awards like the Directors Guild of America and Primetime Emmy Awards for her amazing work.
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Early Life
Aoife McArdle grew up in Omagh, a town in Northern Ireland.
She studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin. There, she enjoyed creative writing and also became very interested in photography and making films. She used old-school cameras like Super 8 and Mini DV to shoot and edit her own movies. Later, she earned a Master's degree in Film & TV production from Bournemouth film school. She began her career in film and music videos when she moved to London in 2005.
Career Highlights
Directing TV Shows
From 2020 to 2022, Aoife McArdle was a director and producer for the TV series Severance. This show was shown on Apple TV and was loved by many people. It starred famous actors like Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, and John Turtelho.
In 2021, she directed a short film and art display called All of This Unreal Time. It featured actor Cillian Murphy performing a speech written by Max Porter. The music for the piece was created by Jon Hopkins, Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner. This special project was first shown at the Manchester International Festival.
Making Movies
Her first full-length movie, Kissing Candice, was shown for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017. It also premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2018. Critics praised the film.
In 2015, she was asked by Jefferson Hack from Dazed magazine to create a short film. This film was made to go along with U2's song "Every Breaking Wave." Famous directors like Spike Jonze and Alejandro González Iñárritu really liked the film. It was also nominated for four UK Music Video awards.
Other Creative Work
Aoife McArdle has directed music videos for artists like Jon Hopkins and Bryan Ferry. She has also made TV commercials for big companies such as Honda and Nike. She even directed Super Bowl commercials for Squarespace, Audi, and Toyota. Her work in advertising often promotes important ideas like social equality.
Her shorter projects have won many awards. These include a UK Music Video Award, D&AD Pencils, Lions at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and Gold British Arrows. She has also won Clios and AICP awards.
Artistic Style
Aoife McArdle's stories often focus on characters who feel like outsiders. Her films explore big questions about life and reality, sometimes mixing real-life situations with dream-like scenes.
Her visual style is very unique. She often uses interesting locations and long, carefully planned camera movements. She also likes to use low-key lighting, which creates a dramatic mood. She prefers to use special anamorphic lenses and shoot on 35mm film, which gives her movies a classic, cinematic look.
Filmography
Feature Films
- Kissing Candice - Irish Film Board - 2018
Television Shows
- Severance - Apple - 2022
- Brave New World - Peacock - 2020
Short Films
- All of this Unreal Time - Manchester International Festival - 2021
- Italy, Texas - Vice/55DSL - 2013
- Beyond the Fervent Heat - Design Forum - 2013
Music Videos
- Water (ft Clara La San) - Bicep - 2022
- Trouble in Town - Coldplay - 2020
- Every Breaking Wave - U2 - 2015
- Loop De Li - Bryan Ferry - 2014
- Half-Light - Wilkinson - 2014
- Open Eye Signal - Jon Hopkins - 2013
- Red Dust - James Vincent McMorrow - 2013
- Glacier - James Vincent McMorrow - 2013
- Cavalier - James Vincent McMorrow - 2013
- Lesson Number Seven - Clock Opera - 2012
- Seraphim - Simian Mobile Disco - 2012
- Desire - Anna Calvi - 2011
- Isles - Little Comets - 2011
- K Hole - Ali Love - 2006
- Martell - The Cribs - 2005
- What's your Damage - Test Icicles - 2005
- Circle, square, triangle - Test Icicles - 2005
- Helicopter (US) - Bloc Party - 2005
- Pioneers - Bloc Party - 2005
Commercials
- Capture - Apple - 2024
- The Singularity - Squarespace - 2023 (Superbowl LVII)
- Live the Game - Playstation - 2019
- Dream with Us - Nike - 2019
- Good Odds - Toyota - 2018 (Superbowl LII)
- Runner - Toyota - 2018
- First Breath - Alzheimer's Research UK - 2018
- Equal Love - Absolut - 2017
- Daughter - Audi - 2017 (Superbowl LI)
- Prince with 1000 Enemies - Under Armour - 2016
- Numbers - Under Armour - 2016
- Raise - Secret - 2016
- Ignition - Honda - 2015
- Feel More - Samsung - 2015
- This is Major - Electric Ireland - 2014
- Wheels on the Car - Safer Scotland - 2013
- L'Homme Idéal - GQ Magazine - 2008
Awards and Recognition
Aoife McArdle has received many awards and nominations for her work:
- In 2023, she won the BBC Studios Director Award at the WFTV.
- Also in 2023, she received the Rising Star award from IFTA.
- She was nominated for a Hugo award in 2023 for her work on Severance.
- In 2023, she was nominated by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Drama Series for Severance.
- In 2022, Severance, which she directed, won a Peabody Award.
- She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 2022 for Severance.
- Her short film 'All of This Unreal Time' was nominated for Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022.
- In 2018, she won a Bronze Lion at Cannes for the 'Good Odds' commercial for Toyota.
- Her film Kissing Candice was nominated for the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2018.
- She won a Graphite Pencil for Direction and a Yellow Pencil for Cinematography at the D&AD Awards in 2018 for the 'Equal Love' commercial for Absolut.
- In 2013, she won Best Cinematography at the UK Music Video Awards for 'Open Eye Signal' by Jon Hopkins.
