Deanne Foley facts for kids

Deanne Catherine Foley is a talented Canadian director, writer, and producer. She creates both short and long films, including documentaries. Her movies often focus on interesting female characters and are usually filmed in Atlantic Canada. Deanne also directs episodes for different television shows. She is well-known for her films An Audience of Chairs, Relative Happiness, and Beat Down. These films have won awards and been shown at important film festivals.

About Deanne Foley

Deanne Foley was born and grew up in St. John's, Newfoundland, during the 1970s. She studied English at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, graduating in 1995. While at university, she discovered her passion for filmmaking after attending the St. John's International Women's Film Festival.

Today, Deanne lives in St. John's, Newfoundland, and is a mother of two children.

Deanne's Career in Film and TV

Starting Her Journey

In 1998, Deanne moved to Halifax to find chances to work in the film industry. Her very first short film, called Trombone Trouble, was shown at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2000. This funny short film is about a girl who tries to get rid of her trombone because her parents make her take lessons. Trombone Trouble was shown on Canadian TV channels like CBC and The Comedy Network. It also played at many film festivals.

In 2002, Deanne moved back to St. John's. There, she produced another short film called This Boy. This film won the Best Canadian Female Short award at a festival in Toronto. Around the same time, Deanne also worked for CBC news shows, ZeD and Street Cents. She reported on stories from Newfoundland. In 2009, she directed her second short film, The Magnificent Molly McBride. This film won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Nickel Independent Film Festival in St. John's.

Making Feature Films

In 2012, Deanne Foley's first full-length movie, called Beat Down, was released. She directed this film and helped write it. Beat Down is a comedy about a teenager named Fran. Fran, played by Marthe Bernard, wants to become a professional wrestler like her parents. However, her father doesn't approve. The movie got good reviews and was nominated for three Canadian Comedy Awards. Deanne was nominated for her directing. The film was also named "Best of the Fest" at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California, where it was first shown.

Her second feature film, Relative Happiness, was made by companies from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The movie is based on a book by Lesley Crewe. It stars Melissa Bergland, Aaron Poole, and Susan Kent. Deanne wrote the script with Iain MacLeod, Sherry White, and Lesley Crewe. They decided to make the movie funnier than the book, turning it into a romantic comedy. The story is about Lexie, played by Melissa Bergland, who owns a bed and breakfast and is looking for love. Deanne filmed Relative Happiness in Halifax in just 16 days in the fall of 2013. The movie cost $1.25 million to make and was funded by Telefilm Canada. It was first shown on May 15, 2014, at the Cannes Film Festival. Deanne and her directing team were nominated for an award by the Directors Guild of Canada for their work on this project.

Working in Television

Deanne Foley also has experience directing television shows. In 2014, she directed two episodes of the CBC TV series Republic of Doyle. She also created and directed a TV documentary series called Going the Distance. This show aired in 2004 on Global Television. It followed the lives of 13 different couples who had been together for a long time.

Awards and Recognitions

Deanne Foley is a member of several important groups for filmmakers and writers. These include the Directors Guild of Canada, the Writers Guild of Canada, WIFT (Women in Film and Television)-Atlantic, and NIFCO (Newfoundland Independent Film Makers Co-Op Ltd). She won the award for Best Debut Feature at the Female Eye Film Festival for her film Beat Down. In 2015, she was named Artist of the Year at the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Awards. She also won the 2020 Wave Award from WIFT-Atlantic.

Deanne Foley's Filmography

Films

Television