Kirsten Sheridan facts for kids

Kirsten Sheridan (born on July 14, 1976) is a talented film director and writer from Ireland. She is famous for helping to write the movie In America with her father, Jim Sheridan, and her sister, Naomi. This movie was based on their own family's story. For her work on In America, Kirsten was nominated for important awards like an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She also directed popular films such as Disco Pigs and August Rush.

Growing Up and Education

Kirsten Sheridan was born in Dublin, Ireland. In 1981, when she was young, her family moved to New York City. Her father was trying to become an actor and theater director there. After eight years, her family moved back to Ireland. That's when her father became a successful director with the movie My Left Foot. Kirsten even had a small role in that film, playing the younger sister of the main actor, Daniel Day-Lewis.

Kirsten loved movies and writing. In 1993, she studied script writing at New York University. Later, she went to film school at University College Dublin. She earned her film degree in 1998 from Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design.

Her Amazing Career

Kirsten Sheridan started her career by making short films. Her film Patterns won many awards at film festivals around the world. Another short film, The Case of Majella McGinty, also won several awards. This film was about a young girl who used her imagination to escape from a difficult life.

Directing Feature Films

Kirsten directed her first full-length movie, Disco Pigs, in 2001. This film starred Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy. It was about two teenagers who had a very close and unusual friendship. Critics described Disco Pigs as a "stylised, hyperkinetic drama" that mixed real-life situations with fantasy. For Disco Pigs, Kirsten was nominated for Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards and the Irish Film & TV Academy Awards. The movie also won prizes at several youth film festivals.

Writing and Directing In America and August Rush

After Disco Pigs, Kirsten worked with her father, Jim, and sister, Naomi, on the script for In America. This movie was based on their family's own experiences of living in New York and dealing with tough times. It also included a story about the death of Jim's younger brother. Jim Sheridan directed the film, and it became very successful. It even earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

In 2007, Kirsten directed August Rush. This movie tells the story of two musicians, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell, who fall in love. Their son, played by Freddie Highmore, is an orphaned musical genius. Robin Williams also stars as a character who helps the young musician.

Later Works

Kirsten directed the film Dollhouse in 2010, which was released in 2012. This movie was special because it was unscripted, meaning the actors made up their lines as they went along. It featured young Irish actors like Jack Reynor and Seána Kerslake. Dollhouse was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival and won an award at the Odesa International Film Festival.

More recently, Kirsten has worked as a Co-Executive Producer and writer for the FX series ‘Say Nothing’, which started in November 2024. She was also an Executive Producer for the Sky/Peacock series ‘Lockerbie’, which will premiere in January 2025.

Family Life

Kirsten Sheridan has three children. Her sons are named Leo (born in 2002), Séamus (born in 2007), and Frankie (born in 2010).

Filmography

Short Films

Feature Films

As Editor

• Between Two Worlds (1997)
• Ward Zone (1998)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kirsten Sheridan para niños