{{Short description|Irish director and screenwriter}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}} {{Use British English|date=January 2015}} {{Infobox person | name = Maeve Murphy | image = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK | occupation = Writer/Director | website = {{URL|http://www.maevemurphy.net}} }}
'''Maeve Murphy''' is an Irish director-screenwriter. In 2011, as director for her short film ''Sushi'', she won the Sub-ti short film competition, co-judged by Venice Days, Venice Film Festival. In 2020, the ''Irish Times'' listed Murphy's ''Silent Grace'' as no 38 in their 50 Best Irish Films Ever Made. Silent Grace had previously been selected to represent the UK at Cannes but couldn't show as it had shown in the market <ref>https://www.ifiinternational.ie/film/silent-grace/ </ref>. Maeve wrote and directed the St Pancras Sunrise short which was executive produced by Jim Sheridan. Part inspired by ECP's church occupation it won 8 awards internationally. In 2024 it was long listed on the British Short Film Awards and in 2025 Maeve was nominated Best Director for it at the European Short Film Awards.<ref>[https://europeanshortawards.com/nominees European Short Film Awards 2025 Nominees]</ref>
==Early life== Murphy was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland. As a teenager, she was one of the hosts of BBC Northern Ireland's youth TV series ''Wise Crack''. While at Cambridge University, she was the secretary of the Cambridge Footlights<ref>{{cite web|url=http://footlights.org/1980.html |title=1980 |accessdate=2012-10-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126190430/http://footlights.org/1980.html |archivedate=26 January 2012 }}</ref> and a co-founding member of "Trouble and Strife" theatre company.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maeve Murphy with Trouble and Strife {{!}} extraORDINARYwomenNI |url=https://www.extraordinarywomenni.com/collections/archives/item/maeve-murphy-with-trouble-and-strife |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.extraordinarywomenni.com}}</ref>
==Early work== Murphy's first short was ''Amazing Grace'', with Aidan Gillen,<ref>{{Citation |last=Murphy |first=Maeve |title=Amazing Grace |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0466427/ |type=Short, Drama |access-date=2023-10-09 |others=Clare Cathcart, Aidan Gillen |publisher=This Guy's Films}}</ref> was screened at the BFI.<ref>{{Citation |title=Amazing Grace (Short 1998) - Release info - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0466427/releaseinfo/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |language=en-US}}</ref> Her second short ''Salvage'', starring Orla Brady,<ref>{{Citation |last=Murphy |first=Maeve |title=Salvage |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3081384/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_7_dr |type=Short, Drama |access-date=2023-10-09 |others=Orla Brady, Clare Cathcart |publisher=New Moon Pictures}}</ref> premiered at the Cork Film Festival.<ref>{{Citation |title=Salvage (Short 1999) - Release info - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3081384/releaseinfo/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>
''Silent Grace'', was a prison/hunger strike/women's protest drama starring Brady, Cathleen Bradley, Cara Seymour, Patrick Bergin and Conor Mullen. ''Silent Grace'' was chosen as UK entry for Cannes for Un Certain Regard Section in 2002.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ifiinternational.ie/film/silent-grace/ | title=IFI International | Silent Grace }}</ref> The film screened at the Galway,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/shownews.pl?obj=ShowNews&CfgPath=ffs/filinfo&Cfg=news.cfg&news=general&text_id=19043 |title= Film Festivals . Com - People|website=www.filmfestivals.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205064333/http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/shownews.pl?obj=ShowNews&CfgPath=ffs%2Ffilinfo&Cfg=news.cfg&news=general&text_id=19043 |archive-date=5 December 2008}}</ref> Moscow Film Festival, Taormina<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.taorminafilmfest.it/2002/english/cinemadalmondo/scheda.asp?ID=13|title=Schedaasp}}</ref> and the Hamptons Film Festival, USA,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117919308?refcatid=31|title = Silent Grace|date = 10 November 2002}}</ref> where it was nominated for the Conflict and Resolution Award in association with the Brizzolara Family Foundation.<ref>{{Citation |title=Silent Grace (2001) - Awards - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291177/awards/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |language=en-US}}</ref> The film was positively reviewed by Ronnie Scheib in ''Variety''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/silent-grace-1200544904/#.T4KaKQBP3O8.mailto|title = Silent Grace|date = 10 November 2002}}</ref> and by Michael Dwyer in the Irish Times.<ref>{{Cite news |title=DIRTY WAR |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/dirty-war-1.1147457 |access-date=2023-10-09 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref> ''Silent Grace'' is a fictional drama based on real events, covering the largely untold story of Republican women prisoners’ involvement in the Dirty protests and first Hunger Strikes of 1980/1981. Guerilla Films released it via UGC cinemas in London, Belfast and Dublin in 2004, and it was supported by the Irish Film Board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/irish_film_industry/news/Bord_Scannan_na_hEireann-the_Irish_Film_Board_today_announced_the_launch_of_its_two_new_feature_film_initiatives__Low_Budget_and_Micro_Budget-Digital_Development/1 |title=Irish Film Board/Bord Scannán na hÉireann - About Irish Film / News / Bord Scannán na hÉireann/The Irish Film Board today announced the launch of its two new feature film initiatives - Low Budget and Micro Budget/Digital Development |access-date=16 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016171028/http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/irish_film_industry/news/Bord_Scannan_na_hEireann-the_Irish_Film_Board_today_announced_the_launch_of_its_two_new_feature_film_initiatives__Low_Budget_and_Micro_Budget-Digital_Development/1 |archive-date=16 October 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Silent Grace achieved 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silent_grace|title=Silent Grace (2001)|website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> It was picked up for international online streaming on Hulu and Mubi.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/10/whats-new-on-hulu-november-2015.html | title=What's New on Hulu: November 2015 | date=30 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mubi.com/films/silent-grace|title = Silent Grace}}</ref>
On 24 June 2017, 16 years after its film festival premiere and following two articles in the ''Irish Times'' about women's voices,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/silent-grace-and-silenced-women-s-voices-1.3130844|title = Silent Grace and silenced women's voices| newspaper=The Irish Times }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/time-to-stop-force-feeding-us-a-male-cultural-history-1.2814638|title = Time to stop force-feeding us a male cultural history| newspaper=The Irish Times }}</ref> TV3 gave ''Silent Grace'' its Irish nationwide TV première. ''The Sunday Times'' made it one of the "Films of the Week." and ''The Irish Times'' said "Silent Grace is important".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/silent-grace-and-women-s-hands-arming-female-militancy-1.3205927|title = Silent Grace and women's hands: Arming female militancy| newspaper=The Irish Times }}</ref> In May 2020, the ''Irish Times'' listed ''Silent Grace'' as number 38 in their list of the 50 greatest Irish films of all time.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The 50 best Irish films ever made, in order|newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/the-50-best-irish-films-ever-made-in-order-1.4238979}}</ref> In June 2021, the Irish Film Institute put it on their IFI international online collection<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wft.ie/free-screening-of-silent-grace-in-dublin-this-january/|title=Screening of Silent Grace in Dublin January 26th 2018}}</ref> and BFI Player added it to their Woman with a Movie Camera Collection in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Woman with a Movie Camera |url=https://player.bfi.org.uk/rentals/collection/woman-with-a-movie-camera |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=player.bfi.org.uk |language=en}}</ref>
''Beyond The Fire'', her second feature film, was about love in the wake of sexual assault starring Cara Seymour and Scot Williams. She won Best UK Feature at the London Independent Film Festival 2009<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.londonindependent.org/winners2009.htm|title=London Independent Film Festival}}</ref> and Best International Feature at the Garden State Film Festival USA 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gsff.org/archive/winners10.php |title=7th Annual Garden State Film Festival |access-date=16 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000126/http://www.gsff.org/archive/winners10.php |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was selected for the Belfast Film Festival<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belfastfilmfestival.org/2009/programme/films/370 |title=The 9th Jameson Belfast Film Festival |accessdate=2012-02-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504220218/http://www.belfastfilmfestival.org/2009/programme/films/370 |archivedate=4 May 2009 }}</ref> and the ICA New British Cinema season.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120802111742/http://www.ica.org.uk/20097/Film/Beyond-the-Fire.html Article title]}} </ref> It was released in cinema by Met Film Distribution and had a London, Belfast, Dublin cinema release, supported by UKFC in 2009<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://industry.bfi.org.uk/awards?awardid=15237 |title=UK Film Council - Awards database |access-date=16 February 2012 |archive-date=2 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802100602/http://industry.bfi.org.uk/awards?awardid=15237 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 2010. Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' said "its heartfelt, unironic belief in the power of love is attractive."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jun/19/beyond-the-fire-film-review|title=Film review: Beyond the Fire|website=TheGuardian.com|date=18 June 2009}}</ref> There was press controversy about the film in the ''Irish Independent'' regarding RTÉ's decision not to acquire it due to the feeling there was "no appetite for the subject matter".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/victims-fury-as-rte-claims-no-appetite-for-movie-2102876.html|title = Victims' fury as RTE claims 'no appetite' for movie}}</ref> Victims of religious sexual abuse expressed their concern. TV3 then stepped in and it was broadcast across Ireland in April 2010<ref>http://www.tv3.ie/movies.php?video=21131&locID=1.76.221&page=1&tv3=1&movies=&comingsoon= {{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and May 2010. In 2011 ''Beyond the Fire'' was sold to the BBC for UK TV transmission by Frank Mannion of Swipe Films.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lodderhose |first=Diana |date=14 February 2012 |title=Swipe lights up 'Fire' biz |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118050250?refCatId=19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205145000/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118050250?refCatId=19 |archive-date=5 February 2013 |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref> It was subsequently broadcast on BBC2 on 22 March 2013 and also made available on BBC iPlayer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Two - Beyond the Fire |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ngxkr |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> It was one of "Best 8 TV Movies of the Week" in ''The Sabotage Times''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sabotagetimes.com/reportage/top-film-tips-8-best-tv-movies-of-the-week/ |title=Top Film Tip's 8 Best TV Movies of the Week - Sabotage Times |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=5 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605021706/http://sabotagetimes.com/reportage/top-film-tips-8-best-tv-movies-of-the-week/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
Murphy won the Sub-ti International short film Award 2011 for her comedy drama short ''Sushi'',<ref>{{cite web |title=SUB-TI INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION 2011 WINNER |url=http://www.subti.com/userfiles/images/comunicato%20short%20film%20competition%20winner%20Subti%202011.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210232057/http://www.subti.com/userfiles/images/comunicato%20short%20film%20competition%20winner%20Subti%202011.pdf |archivedate=10 December 2013 |accessdate=2012-02-16 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://swlondoner.co.uk/content/0610412-international-award-film-shot-and-produced-fulham |title=International award for film shot and produced in Fulham | SW Londoner |accessdate=2012-02-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219080243/http://swlondoner.co.uk/content/0610412-international-award-film-shot-and-produced-fulham |archivedate=19 December 2011 }}</ref> starring Luanna Priestman and Junichi Kajioka.
''Taking Stock'', starring Kelly Brook and Scot Williams, an austerity comedy caper feature was based on ''Sushi''. It was selected for its UK premiere by the 2015 Raindance Film Festival and for the 2015 Monaco International Film Festival where it won four awards:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.monacofilmfest.com/2015program/winners.php|title = ANGEL AWARDS - Monaco International Film Festival}}</ref> Independent Spirit Award: Taking Stock directed by Murphy; Best Supporting Actor; Best Producer; Best Cinematography. ''Taking Stock'' showed at the 2016 Garden State Film Festival where the film and Murphy and producer Geoff Austin won the Bud Abbott Award for feature-length comedy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gsff.org/past-festivals/2016-winners/ |title=2016 Winners | Garden State Film Festival |access-date=17 April 2016 |archive-date=10 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410094854/http://www.gsff.org/past-festivals/2016-winners/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The film also showed at the WIND International Film Festival in LA where Murphy won the award for best female director in the comedy section. Also, Junichi Kajioka won the award for best supporting actor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.windinternationalfilmfestival.com/wind-season-1-winners.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919094624/http://www.windinternationalfilmfestival.com/wind-season-1-winners.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-09-19|title=Season 1 winners|website=MightyVisionPictures|access-date=2016-08-04}}</ref> Swipe Films released the film in UK cinemas in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leonsis |first=Elle |date=2015-12-09 |title=UK Distributor Swipe Films Acquires Rights to Festival-Winning Dramedy 'Taking Stock' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/uk-distributor-swipe-films-acquires-rights-to-festival-winning-dramedy-taking-stock-46687/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref> It was on UK/Irl Netflix 2016-2018.
''Siobhan'' was a ghost/rape-revenge 2017 short film written and directed by Murphy. It won the award of excellence in the One Reeler Short film competition in LA<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.one-reeler.net/award-of-excellence-siobhan-uk/|title=Award of Excellence – "Siobhan" (UK) – One-Reeler.net|date=9 June 2015 }}</ref> and the award for Best Music which was composed by David Long.<ref>{{Citation |title=Siobhan (Short 2017) - Awards - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6784094/awards/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |language=en-US}}</ref> Film critic Rich Cline in ''Shadows on The Wall'' said it was "beautifully shot...its darkly moving. And also eerily provocative."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/17/sc.htm|title = Shadows on the Wall | Arthouse Films}}</ref>
==Middle work==
During 2018-2020 Murphy wrote a feature film screenplay with Victoria Mary Clarke about the life/love story of Victoria and Shane MacGowan.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-about-our-love-is-no-fairytale-shane-macgowans-wife-38473611.html| title = 'Film about our love is no fairytale' - Shane MacGowan's wife - Independent.ie| date = 6 September 2019}}</ref>
Murphy wrote "Christmas at the Cross", a short story which was published in the ''Irish Times'' on Christmas Eve 2019 and reached No. 3 in their Culture Top 10 Most Read.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/christmas-at-the-cross-a-short-story-by-maeve-murphy-1.4118412|title = Christmas at the Cross, a short story by Maeve Murphy| newspaper=The Irish Times }}</ref> On 26 December 2020 the ''Irish Times'' published 'The Little Statue', part two of the 'Christmas at the Cross' story.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-little-statue-christmas-at-the-cross-part-ii-1.4444633|title=The Little Statue: Christmas at the Cross Part II|newspaper=The Irish Times }}</ref> It is a novella in four parts about a young Irish woman holed up in a red light area of London who becomes friends with a local prostitute. It was published by Bridge House Publishing in October 2021. The Irish Times review said 'it was a short, sharp read that packed a punch'.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/books-in-brief-jan-morris-s-parting-thoughts-and-a-hyper-imaginative-novel-1.4747272|title = Books in Brief: Jan Morris's parting thoughts and a hyper-imaginative novel| newspaper=The Irish Times }}</ref> Film maker Jim Sheridan said "This is a book about women who have had enough...you will be astonished by Maeve's riveting tale."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.writing.ie/interviews/christmas-at-the-cross-by-maeve-murphy/|title = Christmas at the Cross by Maeve Murphy|date = 9 December 2021}}</ref>
In 2024 Maeve wrote, directed and produced St Pancras Sunrise a short film based on real events and her novella "Christmas at the Cross". A proof of concept for a feature version in development with Tile Media for Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen. A work in progress of the short showed at the ICA's IFTUK St Patrick's Festival. It stars Emma Eliza Regan, Frankie Wilson, Sibylla Meienberg and Orla Brady. It premièred on July 12, 2024 at the Ischia Film Festival where Maeve as director/writer and Jim Sheridan as executive producer did a short talk afterwards. The short film then screened as part of official selection at the Belfast, Catalyst, Fastnet, Irish Film London and Raindance Film Festival. It has won 8 awards internationally including, Best International Short Film at the Silicon Beach Film Festival in LA, Awarded Honorable Mention at London Breeze Film Festival, Winner Best Short at the London International Screenwriters Film Festival. Winner Best Short Short at City of Lights Film Festival. Maeve was also long listed Best Director for it at the British Short Film Awards. The murder of Patsy Malone a Kings Cross sex worker by a serving Met police officer in London in 1981 also inspired the short film.<ref>{{cite web | title=Meet the Irish director tackling police brutality towards sex workers | date=8 March 2025 | url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/03/08/st-pancras-sunrise-the-award-winning-short-film-shining-a-light-on-sex-work-and-police-bru }}</ref> This has been noted in by media. Film Ireland named it a "break out success" and praised its "electric immediacy". Critic Amanny Mo said it "packed a punch, resonates with today...a heart wrenching short film".<ref>{{cite web | title=Article: Line by Line, Frame by Frame: Maeve Murphy on her Filmmaking Journey – Film Ireland Magazine | date=19 May 2025 | url=https://filmireland.net/2025/05/19/article-line-by-line-frame-by-frame-maeve-murphy-on-her-filmmaking-journey/ }}</ref> Maeve was nominated Best Director at the European Short Film Awards 2025.<ref>[https://europeanshortawards.com/nominees European Short Film Awards 2025 Nominees]</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website|http://www.maevemurphy.net/}} *{{IMDb name|614479|Maeve Murphy}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Maeve}} Category:Living people Category:20th-century women writers from Northern Ireland Category:21st-century women writers from Northern Ireland Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge Category:British women film directors Category:Women screenwriters from Northern Ireland Category:Women television writers from Northern Ireland Category:Television directors from Northern Ireland Category:Screenwriting instructors Category:Irish women film directors Category:British women television writers Category:British women television directors Category:Film directors from Belfast