Martin Duffy
Encyclopedia
Starting as a film-editor at Radio Telefís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
in the late 1970s, he expanded into writing children's shows in the 1980s with the Lambert Puppet Theatre
Lambert Puppet Theatre
The Lambert Puppet Theatre & Museum is a puppet theatre located in Monkstown, County Dublin, Ireland. It is a family run business established in 1972 by Eugene Lambert, and hosts an international puppet festival annually. It used to produce children's television series on Radio Telefís Éireann,...
, Wanderly Wagon
Wanderly Wagon
Wanderly Wagon was an Irish children's television series which aired on RTÉ from Saturday 30 September 1967 until 1982. Wanderly Wagon followed human and puppet characters as they travelled around Ireland visiting interesting locations, rescuing Princesses and generally doing good...
, Fortycoats & Co.
Fortycoats & Co.
Fortycoats & Co. was an Irish children's television drama series produced by RTÉ and broadcast on RTÉ One during the 1980s. The series was cancelled in the early 1990s.-Premise:...
, Bosco
Bosco
Bosco was an Irish children's television programme produced during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was produced by the Lambert Puppet Theatre. Designed by Jan Mitchell, Bosco was voiced by Miriam Lambert initially; in later years Paula Lambert took over the character...
and Scratch Saturday. He left Irish national television in 1989 to become a freelance editor and in 1995 found funding for his first feature film, The Boy from Mercury
The Boy from Mercury
The Boy from Mercury is a nostalgiac Irish Film, the first from writer and director Martin Duffy. The film concerns the science-fiction daydreams of a young boy in 1960 Dublin. Upon release, the film received international critical acclaim, and several awards, though was commercially unsuccessful...
, a film set in 1950s Dublin about a young boy whose life revolves around the escapism of Saturday afternoon Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
serials at his local cinema. The film received international critical acclaim and several awards, but was a commercial dud. Martins book about the making of the film, The Road to Mercury, is an insightful look into the mechanisms of the Irish film industry.
He has since directed three feature films, continuing to work with young actors and creating family films, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway
For the novel by Robert Cormier, see The Bumblebee Flies Anyway The Bumblebee Flies Anyway is a 1999 film starring Elijah Wood, directed by Martin Duffy. It was based on the novel of the same name by Robert Cormier.-Plot:...
, starring Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
, The Testimony of Taliesin Jones and Summer of the Flying Saucer
Summer of the Flying Saucer
Summer of the Flying Saucer is a 2008 Irish Family film starring Robert Sheehan and Nicola Coughlan. The film was directed by Martin Duffy.- External links :*...
, a family film about a UFO that crashlanded in rural Ireland in 1967. He continues to work as a freelance editor when he is not directing, and has written several books for children, as well as a travelogue and a family history. He now resides in Berlin, Germany.
Selected Filmmography
- Summer of the Flying SaucerSummer of the Flying SaucerSummer of the Flying Saucer is a 2008 Irish Family film starring Robert Sheehan and Nicola Coughlan. The film was directed by Martin Duffy.- External links :*...
(2008) - The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (2000)
- The Bumblebee Flies AnywayThe Bumblebee Flies AnywayFor the novel by Robert Cormier, see The Bumblebee Flies Anyway The Bumblebee Flies Anyway is a 1999 film starring Elijah Wood, directed by Martin Duffy. It was based on the novel of the same name by Robert Cormier.-Plot:...
(1999) - The Boy from MercuryThe Boy from MercuryThe Boy from Mercury is a nostalgiac Irish Film, the first from writer and director Martin Duffy. The film concerns the science-fiction daydreams of a young boy in 1960 Dublin. Upon release, the film received international critical acclaim, and several awards, though was commercially unsuccessful...
(1996)
Selected Television Work
- BoscoBoscoBosco was an Irish children's television programme produced during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was produced by the Lambert Puppet Theatre. Designed by Jan Mitchell, Bosco was voiced by Miriam Lambert initially; in later years Paula Lambert took over the character...
(Writer) - Fortycoats & Co.Fortycoats & Co.Fortycoats & Co. was an Irish children's television drama series produced by RTÉ and broadcast on RTÉ One during the 1980s. The series was cancelled in the early 1990s.-Premise:...
(Writer) - Wanderly WagonWanderly WagonWanderly Wagon was an Irish children's television series which aired on RTÉ from Saturday 30 September 1967 until 1982. Wanderly Wagon followed human and puppet characters as they travelled around Ireland visiting interesting locations, rescuing Princesses and generally doing good...
(Writer) - The Dubliners Dublin (Writer)
Selected Writings
- Barney and Molly: A True Dublin Love Story (2006)
- The Road to Mercury (1996/2006)