Brendan Foley
Encyclopedia
Brendan Foley is an Irish writer
, film producer
and director
.
He grew up in Belfast
, Northern Ireland and has written feature scripts for companies in UK, US, Canada, South Africa and Thailand. He wrote and produced the 2005 thriller Johnny Was
, starring Vinnie Jones
, Eriq La Salle
and Patrick Bergin
. The film won awards including Audience Awards and Best Feature Awards from six film festivals http://www.bfoley.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/awardscreen.htm.
He wrote, produced and directed The Riddle (2007 film) in 2006, starring Derek Jacobi
, Vinnie Jones
and Vanessa Redgrave
. In September 2007, The Riddle became the world's first feature film to be released as a dvd premiere by a national newspaper. The UK's Mail on Sunday bought UK DVD rights and distributed 2.6 million copies, making the film one of the most widely watched independent films in the UK.
In 2006/7 Foley wrote and directed Legend of the bog, a satirical horror film set in rural Ireland
, starring Vinnie Jones
, Jason Barry
(Titanic
) and Nora Jane Noone
(The Descent
). It was released by Lionsgate in US on DVD in 2009. He then co-created and was a writer on Shelldon, a children's environmental animated series on NBC (2010).
He has also written books for US and UK publishers and journalistic work includes feature assignments in 55 countries worldwide, covering people, business and conflict. Journalism ranged from features on bomb disposal in Angola
, West Africa to the clean-up operations that followed the Exxon Valdez
oil-spill in Alaska
.
His book Under The Wire, a World War II
POW escape drama, which he wrote along with its subject William Ash, which was published by St Martin's Press, New York, and Transworld Publishing, Random House
, London, in 2005 in hardback and 2006 in UK paperback, becoming a best-seller, topping Amazon UK's rankings for World War II and Biography at the time of its launch.
He is a member of the Writers Guild (GB), a Fellow of the British Association of Communicators in Business, and was made an honorary life member of the National Union of Journalists
in June 2006.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
He grew up in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland and has written feature scripts for companies in UK, US, Canada, South Africa and Thailand. He wrote and produced the 2005 thriller Johnny Was
Johnny Was
Johnny Was is an Irish/British gangster movie directed by Mark Hammond, written by Brendan Foley, and made in 2005 by Ben Katz Productions, Borderline Productions and Nordisk Film...
, starring Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
, Eriq La Salle
Eriq La Salle
Eriq La Salle is an American actor and director, known for his portrayals of Darryl in the 1988 comedy film Coming to America and Dr. Peter Benton on the NBC drama series ER.-Early life:...
and Patrick Bergin
Patrick Bergin
Patrick Connolly Bergin is an Irish actor and singer. He may be best-known internationally for playing the menacing husband of Julia Roberts' character in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy and is also known for his role as Irish terrorist Kevin O'Donnell in the film adaption of Patriot Games....
. The film won awards including Audience Awards and Best Feature Awards from six film festivals http://www.bfoley.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/awardscreen.htm.
He wrote, produced and directed The Riddle (2007 film) in 2006, starring Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
, Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
and Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
. In September 2007, The Riddle became the world's first feature film to be released as a dvd premiere by a national newspaper. The UK's Mail on Sunday bought UK DVD rights and distributed 2.6 million copies, making the film one of the most widely watched independent films in the UK.
In 2006/7 Foley wrote and directed Legend of the bog, a satirical horror film set in rural Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, starring Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
, Jason Barry
Jason Barry
Jason Barry is an Irish actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Tommy Ryan in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic. However, he has also been in such movies as The Still Life for which he has won numerous awards....
(Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
) and Nora Jane Noone
Nora Jane Noone
Nora-Jane Noone is an Irish film and television actress best known for her role in The Magdalene Sisters, where she played Bernadette.-Early life:...
(The Descent
The Descent
The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
). It was released by Lionsgate in US on DVD in 2009. He then co-created and was a writer on Shelldon, a children's environmental animated series on NBC (2010).
He has also written books for US and UK publishers and journalistic work includes feature assignments in 55 countries worldwide, covering people, business and conflict. Journalism ranged from features on bomb disposal in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, West Africa to the clean-up operations that followed the Exxon Valdez
Exxon Valdez
Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean is an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska...
oil-spill in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
His book Under The Wire, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
POW escape drama, which he wrote along with its subject William Ash, which was published by St Martin's Press, New York, and Transworld Publishing, Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, London, in 2005 in hardback and 2006 in UK paperback, becoming a best-seller, topping Amazon UK's rankings for World War II and Biography at the time of its launch.
He is a member of the Writers Guild (GB), a Fellow of the British Association of Communicators in Business, and was made an honorary life member of the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
in June 2006.