Aisling Walsh (born 1958) is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
screenwriter and director. Her work has screened at festivals around the world and she has won several accolades, including a
BAFTA TV Award
The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955.
Background
The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...
for ''
Room at the Top'' (2012) as well as an
Irish Film and Television Award
The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) is an all-Ireland organisation focused on film and television. It has about 1000 members, and is based in Dublin, with branches in London and Los Angeles. The IFTA now holds separate ceremonies for the ...
and a
Canadian Screen Award
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...
for her direction of ''
Maudie'' (2016).
She is known for her "unflinching honest portrayals of a
Catholic Irish society".
Early life
She was born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
to Raphael Walsh, a furniture designer and manufacturer from
Navan
Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the tenth largest settlement in Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Blackwater, around 50&nb ...
,
County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...
. In 1975, when Walsh was 16, she began studies at the
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology ( ga, Institiúid Ealaíona, Dearadh agus Teicneolaíochta Dhún Laoghaire), more commonly known as IADT Dún Laoghaire or simply IADT is an institute of technology with a focus on art and ...
in Dublin. She then continued her education at
The National Film School in
Beaconsfield,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, where one of her main influences was
Bill Douglas
William Gerald Douglas (17 April 1934 – 18 June 1991) was a Scottish film director best known for the trilogy of films about his early life.
Biography
Born in Newcraighall on the outskirts of Edinburgh, he was brought up initially by his m ...
, a Scottish filmmaker who tutored at the school. She later settled in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
Career
In 1985, Walsh wrote and directed her first
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, ''Hostage''. Her feature film
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
was ''Joyriders'' (1989). She then transitioned into television work throughout the 1990s,
including episodes of ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused o ...
'' (1991–1994), ''
Doctor Finlay
''Doctor Finlay'' is a British television series based on A. J. Cronin's stories about the fictional medical hero, Dr. Finlay.
It was first broadcast on 5 March 1993 on ITV.
It is a follow-up to ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'', the successful BBC ...
'' (1993), ''
Roughnecks'' (1995), and ''
Trial & Retribution
''Trial & Retribution'' is a feature-length ITV police procedural television drama series that first aired on 19 October 1997. Written and devised by Lynda La Plante as a follow-on from her successful television series ''Prime Suspect'', each e ...
'' (1997–2002).
In 2003, she wrote and directed her second
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
, ''
Song for a Raggy Boy
''Song for a Raggy Boy'' is an 2003 Irish historical drama film directed by Aisling Walsh. It is based on the book of the same name by Patrick Galvin and is based on true events.
Plot
In 1939, on the brink of World War II, the St. Judes Refor ...
'', which won multiple awards at international film festivals, including Best Film at the
Copenhagen International Film Festival. Her third feature, ''The Daisy Chain'', a
horror-
thriller film, was released in 2008.
Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, Walsh also continued working in television, directing series and television films such as the
BAFTA TV Award
The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955.
Background
The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...
-nominated ''
Fingersmith'' (2005); the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
film ''
Sinners
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
'' (2007); ''The Fifth Woman'', a feature-length episode of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 2013 for Best Mini-Series.
died in New York at the age of 39. The film marked the centenary of Thomas' birth on 27 October 1914.
. As someone who studied painting herself,
Walsh was drawn to the simplicity and beauty in Lewis's work. The film received positive reviews from critics. ''
'' called it "an unabashedly intimate portrait of a remarkable woman". It was a ''
criticized the film's tone and score, but commended the performances and direction.
For her work on ''Maudie'', Walsh won a
in 2018. Walsh also won the award for Best Director at the 15th annual
in 2018.