Molly McGlynn facts for kids

Molly McGlynn is a talented Canadian American film and television director and screenwriter. She is well-known for her movies like Mary Goes Round and Fitting In. Mary Goes Round won her the Jay Scott Prize from the Toronto Film Critics Association. Fitting In was named the Best Canadian Film at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Growing Up

Molly McGlynn was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. When she was five years old, her family moved to New Jersey in the United States. She grew up there but later returned to Canada for her university studies. Molly studied film at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She also learned about television writing and production at Humber College in Toronto.

Her Career in Film and TV

Starting with Short Films

Molly McGlynn began her career by making short films. These are shorter movies, often less than an hour long. Some of her early short films include Office Daydreams and I Am Not a Weird Person. She also made Shoes and Given Your History.

In 2013, her short film Shoes was nominated for Best Short Film. It showed the journey of a pair of shoes. Another short film, 3-Way (Not Calling), premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. This film starred actors like Emma Hunter and Kristian Bruun.

Directing Feature Films

In 2017, Molly McGlynn directed her first full-length movie, called a feature film. This movie was Mary Goes Round, starring Aya Cash. Molly developed the story for this film at the Canadian Film Centre. The movie was shown at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

The story of Mary Goes Round is about a woman who goes back to her hometown. She visits her father, whom she hasn't seen in a while. She then learns that her father is very sick. She also finds out she has a teenage half-sister she never knew about. For her excellent work on this film, Molly won the Jay Scott Prize. This award is for new and promising filmmakers.

In 2020, Molly received the Micki Moore Residency from the Toronto International Film Festival. She used this time to write and direct her next film, Fitting In. This movie stars Maddie Ziegler and Emily Hampshire. It first showed at South by Southwest in March 2023, under the name Bloody Hell.

Her 2023 film Fitting In won a big award. It was named the Best Canadian Film at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Directing Television Shows

Besides movies, Molly McGlynn has also directed many television shows. In 2018, she directed episodes of the web series How to Buy a Baby. For this work, she won an Indie Series Award for Best Directing in a Comedy.

Since then, she has directed episodes for many popular TV series. These include Workin' Moms, Bad Blood, and Speechless. She has also directed for Little Dog, Grown-ish, and Bless This Mess. More recently, she directed episodes for The Wonder Years, Kenan, and Animal Control.