Member Profile

Biography

Macdara Vallely was born in Northern Ireland. He graduated with a B.A. in Theater Studies and Irish Language from the University of Ulster in 1994.

He has written and directed a number of documentaries, including John P. Holland: Inventor of the Submarine (2017) and Joseph Campell: Aisling agus Iobairt (2014), which was broadcast on national television in Ireland.

His feature, Babygirl (2012), its world premiere at the Tribeca International Film Festival, and won the Panavision Independent Spirit Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and was released theatrically in October, 2013.

His first feature, Peacefire (2009), was premiered at Karlovy Vary, and won Best First Feature at Galway Film Fleadh, and, in addition, won the Special Jury Prize at the European First Feature Festival at Angers. It was broadcast nationally in Ireland. His feature, Babygirl (2012), released theatrically in October of 2013, received its world premiere at the Tribeca International Film Festival and won the Panavision Independent Spirit Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Macdara is a playwright as well as a filmmaker. His play “Peacefire” (2004) won the Edinburgh Fringe First for Excellence in Writing and was shortlisted for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award.

Macdara is currently working on a full-feature documentary, QUILL, on the life of Transit Workers Union founder, Michael J. Quill.

Films