Bio

 

Graham Cantwell is an award winning Irish director and writer, who achieved early acclaim when his short film A Dublin Story won several awards and was shortlisted for Academy Award nomination in 2004.

In 2006 he directed a sellout run of the European premiere of stage play Babylon Heights with writer Irvine Welsh. He also collaborated with the writer on a staged reading of A Letter from Death Row, which featured Gary Lewis.

 

In 2008 he directed Anton (international title Trapped) which stars IFTA winner Gerard McSorley. The film was picked up for distribution at the Cannes Film Festival and has sold to over 40 territories worldwide. It has since been nominated for three Irish Film and Television Academy awards, had a three week domestic theatrical release and hit the Top 10 in DVD sales charts at Christmas on it’s release in Ireland.

 

In 2010 he directed The Guards for TV3, the first ever home grown single drama commissioned by the broadcaster, set in the dynamic world of the Irish police force.

His latest feature, romantic comedy The Callback Queen recently screened at the 25th Galway Film Fleadh and had screenings in Leicester Square London, at the British and Irish Film Season in Luxembourg and in Rome at the Irish Film Festa. Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin hosted a run of screenings of the film at his Jean Cocteau cinema in Santa Fe in February 2014.

 

Graham recently worked on a rewrite of romantic comedy Poison Pen from a script by Artemis Fowl creator Eoin Colfer. He is also in development as director on an adaptation of a Jennifer Johnston novel, Fool’s Sanctuary, with Parallel Films in Ireland and Kettledrum Films in the US. His feature script Thin Air was given development funding to shoot a promo as part of the Cornerstone scheme run by The Factory and the Irish Film Board. He has recently been attached to direct Galahad, a Science Fiction feature with Fight Me Productions in the UK and his feature thriller Footsteps of Angels is slated to begin production with Graham at the helm in late 2014.

Filmography

 

THE CALLBACK QUEEN

2013 – Feature Film

 

THE GUARDS

2010 – TV Drama

 

EXERCISE CAUTION

2010 – Short

 

THE LETTER

2009 – Short

 

ANTON/TRAPPED

2008 – Feature

 

ONE

2008 – Music Video

 

SIRENS

2008

 

ONE CAREFUL OWNER

2007 – Short – 15sec

 

AN RACAN

2007 – Short – 3min

 

PRIMETIME INSERTS

2007 – Current Affairs Programme

 

ANTON

2006 – Feature – 95min

 

THE COALBOAT KIDS

2006 – TV Pilot – 14min

 

MELON HUNTER

2006 – Short – 3min

 

KICKSTARTING THE CAO

2006 – Corporate Video – 30min

 

PHILIPS IRELAND

2006 – Corporate Video – 10min

 

FAILTE GO HEIRINN

2005 – Short – 12min

 

WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

2005 – Short – 15min

 

STILL LIFE

2005 – Short – 4min

 

PAST PUPIL

2005 – Short – 13min

 

FIGHTING FITNESS

2004 – TV Pilot – 30min

 

A DUBLIN STORY

2003 – Short – 14min

 

AMIE/MY CITY SHITTY: DAMIEN RICE

2003 – Music Video – 4min

 

A MACHINE THAT WORKS

2002 – Short – 10min

 

L’ETRANGER

2001 – Experimental Film

 

FUASCAILT

2001 – Short – 13min

 

THE PACKAGE

2001 – Short – 10min

 

ON A CLEAR DAY

1999 – Short – 8min

 

POWERTRIP

1998 – Short – 15min

Awards

 

3 IFTA Nominations (Anton) Irish Film & Television Awards 2010

Bronze award (One Careful Owner) 15 Second Film Festival 2008

 

Shortlisted for Academy Award Nomination (A Dublin Story) Academy Awards 2004

 

Special mention for Best International Short Film (A Dublin Story) Tirana International Film Festival 2004

 

Remi Bronze Award for Best Dramatic Original Short (A Dublin Story) WorldFest, Houston 2004

 

Light In Motion Award for Best Irish Short (A Dublin Story) Foyle International Film Festival 2003

 

Kodak Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Film (A Dublin Story) Galway Film Fleadh 2003