Mary McGuckian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary McGuckian
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McGuckian at diff in 2015
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| Born | 27 May 1963 |
| Occupation | Actress, director, writer, producer |
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Mary McGuckian, born on May 27, 1963, is a talented filmmaker from Northern Ireland. She works as a director, producer, actress, and writer for movies. Her films include Words Upon the Window Pane (1994), This Is the Sea (1996), Best (1999), and A Girl from Mogadishu (2018).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary McGuckian grew up on a large family farm in Massereene, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father, Alastair McGuckian, helped start big farming businesses like Masstock Ventures and Almarai.
Mary went to Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) to study drama. There, she became very involved in writing, producing, acting, and directing plays. This is where her journey in filmmaking began.
Filmmaking Career
Mary McGuckian started her career by writing many unique plays. One of her well-known stage adaptations was of the poem "The Midnight Court".
She then moved into writing and directing films. Some of her early movies include:
- Words Upon the Window Pane (1994), based on a play by W. B. Yeats.
- This Is the Sea (1996), which was an adaptation of her own play called Hazel.
- Best (1999), a film about the life of famous Northern Irish footballer George Best.
Creating Pembridge Pictures
In 2001, Mary started her own film company called Pembridge Pictures in the UK. Her goal was to develop and fund her movie adaptation of Thornton Wilder's book, The Bridge of San Luis Rey. This film featured well-known actors like F. Murray Abraham, Robert de Niro, Gabriel Byrne, and Harvey Keitel.
New Filmmaking Styles
Mary began to explore new ways of making movies. She developed a special method where actors would work together to create their own dialogue on set. This means they would improvise their lines as they filmed.
She used this style in Rag Tale (2004), which starred Malcolm McDowell and Jennifer Jason Leigh. This film was the first in her "amorality trilogy," a series of three films that also included Intervention (2007) and Inconceivable (2008).
In 2010, she wrote and directed an English version of the film Man on the Train. It starred Larry Mullen Jr. from the band U2 and Donald Sutherland.
Focus on Female Stories
More recently, Mary McGuckian's films have focused on stories about women's equality.
- The Price of Desire (2015) tells the story of how the work of Irish architect Eileen Gray was overlooked. The film shows how another famous architect, Le Corbusier, tried to erase Eileen Gray's important contributions. The movie premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival in 2015.
- A Girl from Mogadishu (2019) is about Ifrah Ahmed, an activist from Somalia. It follows her journey from a country affected by war to becoming a global voice for change. This film won several awards, including the Audience Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival. It also received an award from the Cinema for Peace Foundation for its work in promoting women's empowerment.
Personal Life
Mary McGuckian was married to actor John Lynch. They separated in 2008.
Filmography
Director
- 2022 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey Remastered
- 2018 - A Girl from Mogadishu
- 2014 - The Price of Desire
- 2011 - The Novelist
- 2011 - Man on the Train
- 2010 - The Making of Plus One
- 2008 - Inconceivable
- 2007 - Intervention
- 2005 - Rag Tale
- 2004 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey
- 2000 - Best
- 1997 - This Is the Sea
- 1994 - Words Upon the Window Pane
Screenwriter
- 2018 - A Girl from Mogadishu
- 2014 - The Price of Desire
- 2011 - The Novelist
- 2011 - Man on the Train
- 2010 - The Making of Plus One
- 2008 - Inconceivable
- 2007 - Intervention
- 2005 - Rag Tale
- 2004 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey
- 2000 - Best
- 1997 - This Is the Sea
- 1994 - Words Upon the Windowpane
Producer
- 2022 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey Remastered
- 2018 - A Girl from Mogadishu
- 2014 - The Price of Desire
- 2011 - The Novelist
- 2011 - Man on the Train
- 2010 - The Making of Plus One
- 2008 - Inconceivable
- 2007 - Intervention
- 2005 - Ragtale
- 2004 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey
- 2000 - Best
- 1997 - This Is the Sea
- 1994 - Words Upon the Windowpane
See also
In Spanish: Mary McGuckian para niños
