Deanne Foley

Last updated
Deanne Foley
Born
Deanne Catherine Foley

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 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

Films

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999The Diary Found by a Nasty KidAssociate ProducerShort film
2000Trombone TroubleWriter/DirectorShort film
2002This BoyProducerShort film
2005Boys on the FringeWriter/DirectorDocumentary short film
2009The Magnificent Molly McBrideWriter/DirectorShort film
2012Beat DownWriter/DirectorFirst feature film
2014SadieProducerShort film
2014Relative HappinessCo-writer/DirectorFeature film
2018 An Audience of Chairs DirectorFeature film
2019The Death of WinterExecutive ProducerShort film
2019RadicalDirectorShort film
2019Christmas ReservationsDirectorTV movie

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Going the DistanceCreator/DirectorDocumentary series
2006 KinK Field DirectorThirteen episodes
2014 Republic of Doyle Director2 episodes ("True Lies" and "Body of Evidence")
2022 Hudson and Rex Director5 episodes
2022 Son of a Critch Director12 episodes

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 and American actress (born 1954)

Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her comedy work on Second City Television (1976–1984) and Schitt's Creek (2015–2020) and in films such as After Hours (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and the first two installments of the Home Alone franchise: Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). 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">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.

The Atlantic International Film Festival is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. AIFF 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.

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

Meredith MacNeill is a Canadian actress and comedian. She appeared in both Canadian and British productions, notable starring in the BBC sketch show Man Stroke Woman (2005–07) and the comedy films Confetti (2006) and Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009). She co-created, produced and starred in the CBC sketch show Baroness von Sketch Show (2016–2021), winning eight Canadian Screen Awards and one Canadian Comedy Awards. MacNeill later starred as Det. Sam Wazowski in the CBC police comedy-drama series, Pretty Hard Cases (2021–2023), for which she was nominated for a four Canadian Screen Awards.

<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 supernatural drama Lost Girl and as the Android in the science fiction series Dark Matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahboubeh Honarian</span> Iranian-Canadian Film Director

Mahboubeh Honarian is an Iranian-Canadian film director and film producer. She was awarded her MSc in engineering multimedia and BA in Humanities with a media and cultural studies bias in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Bergland</span> Australian actress

Melissa Bergland is an Australian actress best known for her role as Jenny Gross in the Seven Network drama Winners & Losers.

<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">Rachel House (actress)</span> New Zealand actress and director

Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House is a New Zealand actress and director. She is best known for her roles in the films of Taika Waititi. and has received numerous accolades including an Arts Laureate, NZ Order of Merit, 'Mana Wahine' from WIFT NZ and Te Waipuna a Rangi for her contributions as an actor and director.

<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">Sherry White</span> Canadian actor, writer and filmmaker

Sherry White is a Canadian screenwriter, television producer, director, and actress. She is best known for co-creating and executive producing the CBC Television comedy-drama series Pretty Hard Cases, and for writing the 2016 film Maudie.

<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' 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 LGBTQ 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.