Deanne Foley

Last updated
Deanne Foley
Born
Deanne Catherine Foley

St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Director, Producer, Writer
Years active1998-Present

Deanne Catherine Foley is a Canadian director, writer and producer. [1] She has directed both narrative and documentary films of feature and short length. Her films often centre around flawed female leads and are usually filmed in Atlantic Canada. [2] She has also worked in the television industry, directing episodes for a variety of series. She is best known for her films An Audience of Chairs, Relative Happiness and Beat Down, which received a number of awards, as well as exposure at a number of higher profile film festivals. [1] [3]

Contents

Biography

Foley was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland during the 1970s. [1] She received her Bachelor of Arts in English in 1995 from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. [4] During her university years, she became interested in becoming a filmmaker after attending the St. John's International Women's Film Festival. [1]

She is the mother of two children and currently lives in St. John's, Newfoundland. [1]

Career

Early career

In 1998, she moved to Halifax to search for opportunities in the film industry. [5] Her first short film, Trombone Trouble, debuted at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2000. The film is a comedic short in which a girl attempts to get rid of her trombone after her parents force her to take lessons. In Canada, the film was broadcast on CBC and The Comedy Network, and screened at a number of film festivals. [1] In 2002, she returned to St. John's and produced the short film, This Boy, for which she received the Best Canadian Female Short award at Toronto's Inside Out Film Festival. [5] Also in the early 2000s, Foley worked as a field producer and video journalist for two CBC news series: ZeD and Street Cents, where she specialized in reports on Newfoundland. [5] In 2009, she directed her second short film, The Magnificent Molly McBride. It won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Nickel Independent Film Festival in St. John's. [6]

Feature films

In 2012, Foley's first feature film, Beat Down, was released. She directed and co-wrote the film. The film is a comedy about a teenager named Fran (played by Marthe Bernard) who hopes to become a professional wrestler like her parents, despite her father's disapproval. The film garnered positive reviews and was nominated for three Canadian Comedy Awards, including one for Foley's directing. [7] It was also named "Best of the Fest" at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California, where it made its debut. [8]

Her second feature film, Relative Happiness, was a Nova Scotia-Newfoundland coproduction. [9] The film is based on the novel of the same name by Cape Breton writer Lesley Crewe and stars Melissa Bergland, Aaron Poole and Susan Kent. [10] Foley wrote the screenplay along with Iain MacLeod, Sherry White and Crewe. They opted to make the film more comedic than the novel in order for it to become a romantic comedy. [11] The film's plot centres around Lexie (played by Bergland), a bed and breakfast owner who sets out to find love. Foley shot the film in Halifax over 16 days in Fall 2013. [3] It had a budget of $1.25 million and was funded by Telefilm Canada. [11] The film debuted May 15, 2014 at the Cannes Film Festival as part of Telefilm Canada's Perspective Canada Cannes program. [1] Foley, along with the rest of her directing team, were nominated by the Directors Guild of Canada for the DGC Team Award for their work on the project. [12]

Television

Foley also has experience with directing television series. In 2014, she directed two episodes of the CBC television series Republic of Doyle. [4] Prior to that she had directed episodes for other television series, such as KINK, a documentary series where people share their sexual fantasies and beliefs, and A Guy and a Girl, a comedy series that aired on the W Network. [5] She was also the creator and one of the directors of the television documentary series, Going the Distance, which aired in 2004 on Global Television. The show chronicled the lives of 13 different couples who were in long-term relationships. [13]

Awards and honours

Foley is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada, as well as the Writers Guild of Canada, WIFT (Women in Film and Television)-Atlantic and NIFCO (Newfoundland Independent Film Makers Co-Op Ltd). [14] She won the award for Best Debut Feature at the Female Eye Film Festival for her work on the film Beat Down. [15] In 2015, she was awarded Artist of the Year at the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Awards. [16] She won the 2020 Wave Award from WIFT-Atlantic.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000Trombone TroubleWriter/DirectorShort film
2002This BoyProducerShort film
2004Going the Distance (television series)Creator/DirectorDocumentary series
2005Boys on the FringeWriter/DirectorDocumentary short film
2006KINK (television series)Field DirectorThirteen episodes
2009The Magnificent Molly McBrideWriter/DirectorShort film
2012Beat DownWriter/DirectorFirst feature film
2014SadieProducerShort film
2014Relative HappinessCo-writer/Director
2014 Republic of Doyle (television series)DirectorTwo episodes ("True Lies" and "Body of Evidence")
2018 An Audience of Chairs Director

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Walsh (actress)</span> Canadian actress, comedian, and writer (born 1952)

Mary Cynthia Walsh is a Canadian actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her work on CODCO and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Critch</span> Canadian comedian, actor, and writer (born 1974)

Mark Critch is a Canadian comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on the comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, initially as a writer and then as a regular cast member beginning in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine O'Hara</span> Canadian-American actress (born 1954)

Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her comedy work on Second City Television (1976–84) and Schitt's Creek (2015–2020) and in films such as After Hours (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Home Alone (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Her other film appearances include the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest; Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Polley</span> Canadian actress, film director and screenwriter

Sarah Ellen Polley is a Canadian filmmaker, political activist and retired actress. She first garnered attention as a child actress for her role as Ramona Quimby in the television series Ramona, based on Beverly Cleary's books. Subsequently this led to her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series Road to Avonlea (1990–1996). She has starred in many feature films, including The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Exotica (1994), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Guinevere (1999), Go (1999), The Weight of Water (2000), No Such Thing (2001), My Life Without Me (2003), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Splice (2009), and Mr. Nobody (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Rozema</span> Canadian film director, writer and producer

Patricia Rozema is a Canadian film director, writer and producer. She was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Ciccoritti</span> Canadian director

Jerry Ciccoritti is a Canadian film, television and theatre director. His ability to work in a number of genres and for many mediums has made him one of the most successful directors in the country.

FIN Atlantic International Film Festival is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. FIN is the largest Canadian film festival east of Montreal, regularly premiering the region's top films of the year, while bringing the best films of the fall festival circuit to Atlantic Canada.

Gerry Rogers is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and politician. She was leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party from 2018 until 2019. She served in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly as NDP MHA for the electoral district of St. John’s Centre from 2011 to 2019. She became the party's leader after winning the April 2018 leadership election. She resigned as party leader prior to the 2019 provincial election and did not seek re-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Hampshire</span> Canadian actress

Emily Hampshire is a Canadian actress. Her best known roles include Angelina in the 1998 romantic comedy Boy Meets Girl, Vivienne in the 2006 film Snow Cake, Jennifer Goines in the Syfy drama series 12 Monkeys (2015–2018), and Stevie Budd in the CBC comedy series Schitt's Creek (2015–2020), as well as the voice role of Misery in the YTV animated series Ruby Gloom (2006–2008). Hampshire has held leading roles in the series Chapelwaite (2021-present) and The Rig (2023-present).

Sugith Varughese is an Indian-born Canadian writer, director and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoie Palmer</span> Canadian actress

Zoie Palmer is a Canadian actress best known for her roles as Dr. Lauren Lewis in the Showcase supernatural drama Lost Girl and as the Android in the SyFy science fiction series Dark Matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Canning</span> Canadian film and television director

Jordan Canning is a Canadian director for film and television. She is known for her independent feature films We Were Wolves (2014) and Suck It Up (2017), as well as her work directing on television series Baroness Von Sketch Show,Burden of Truth and Schitt's Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Wilkinson</span> Canadian filmmaker

Dawn Wilkinson is a Canadian film and television director based in LA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Mills (director)</span> Canadian film director, screenwriter and actor

Kevin Patrick Mills is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and actor, whose feature film debut Guidance was released in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Barrell</span> Canadian actress

Katherine Barrell is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her role as Sheriff Nicole Haught in the Syfy supernatural weird West television series Wynonna Earp. In 2020, she joined the cast of the fantasy comedy-drama television series Good Witch as Joy Harper.

<i>Maudie</i> (film) 2016 film

Maudie is a 2016 biographical drama film directed by Aisling Walsh and starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. A co-production of Ireland and Canada, it is about the life of folk artist Maud Lewis, who painted in Nova Scotia. In the story, Maud (Hawkins) struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, the memory of a lost child, and a family that doubts her abilities, before moving in with a surly fish peddler (Hawke) as a housekeeper. Despite their differing personalities, they marry as her art gains in popularity. The film was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, requiring a re-creation of Lewis's famously small house.

Ashley McKenzie is a Canadian director, screenwriter, and editor. She is known for her feature film directorial debut Werewolf (2016), which won numerous accolades, including the $100,000 Toronto Film Critics Association prize for best Canadian film of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly McCormack</span> Canadian actor and activist

Kelly McCormack is a Canadian actor. She has worked in film, television, and on stage, and she runs her production company, Floyder Films.

Gemma Hickey is a Canadian LGBTQ2 rights activist and author. They became one of the first Canadians to receive a gender-neutral birth certificate and passport. Hickey founded The Pathways Foundation, an organization that offers support to survivors of religious institutional abuse and their families. Since 2010, Hickey has worked as Executive Director of Artforce, formerly known as For the Love of Learning, a non-profit that works to forge new paths for at-risk youth by advancing their literacy and creative skills.

<i>An Audience of Chairs</i> 2018 Canadian film

An Audience of Chairs is a film directed by Deanne Foley and written by Rosemary House. It is adapted from the book by Joan Clark. It stars Carolina Bartczak as Maura, a beautiful woman suffering from mental illness. The film was theatrically released in Canada on March 6, 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bradbury, Tara (July 20, 2015). "20 Questions for Deanne Foley - Local - The Telegram". www.thetelegram.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2015. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  2. ↑ "A Night with Jacob Tierney | Deanne Foley | Vic Sarin". At Shutter Speed. November 4, 2015. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  3. 1 2 "Cannes screening a major boost for N.L. director". CBC News. April 27, 2014. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  4. 1 2 Hoffe, Mark (2015-07-31). ""Artist of the Year" Deanne Foley Talks about Making Films in Newfoundland". The Overcast. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bradbury, Tara (July 23, 2011). "'Wrestling' with relationships - Living - The Telegram". www.thetelegram.com. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  6. ↑ Vajcner, Chris (2010-07-15). "The Magnificent Molly McBride wins Audience Choice Award at Nickel Film Festival". National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI). Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  7. ↑ "The Comedy Network – Canadian Comedy Awards | Nominees". www.thecomedynetwork.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  8. ↑ Nemetz, Andrea (2014-04-14). "Life in and outside the ring tackled in new film Beat Down". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  9. ↑ Varga, Darrell (2015). Shooting from the East: Filmmaking on the Canadian Atlantic. Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 313–314.
  10. ↑ Nemetz, Andrea (2014-09-11). "Lesley Crewe more than relatively happy as film version of novel hits big screen". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  11. 1 2 Barnard, Elissa (2015-03-19). "Actors echo onscreen bond in Relative Happiness". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  12. ↑ "Local filmmaker up for Directors Guild award - Local - The Telegram". www.cbncompass.ca. June 19, 2015. Retrieved 2016-10-19.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ Dinoff, Distin (May 12, 2003). "Ghostship sets sail with animated doc on fairies" . Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  14. ↑ "Deanne Foley » Directors Guild of Canada". www.dgc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  15. ↑ "Awards - Pope Productions". Pope Productions. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  16. ↑ "NLAC - News - July 10, 2015 - Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council announces award winners". www.nlac.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.