Brendan McCarthy is an Irish film producer and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

based in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Together with

John McDonnell John Martin McDonnell (born 8 September 1951) is a British politician who served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. He has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington ...

, McCarthy runs the Oscar-winning production company

Fantastic Films (Ireland) Fantastic Films is an Irish film production company based in Dublin, Ireland run by producers John McDonnell & Brendan McCarthy. Filmography *'' Woken'' (producer, 2024) *''Vivarium'' (producer, 2019) *'' The Last Days on Mars'' (co-produce ...

Early life

Brendan McCarthy is a Film Adviser to

Arts Council of Ireland The Arts Council (sometimes called the Arts Council of Ireland; legally ) is the independent "Irish government agency for developing the arts". About It was established in 1951 by the government of Ireland, to encourage interest in Irish art ( ...

, where he consults on both policy and project related issues. From 2001 to 2012 McCarthy acted as the Irish delegate to

Eurimages Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in . Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages co-op ...

is the European co-production fund based at the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

. He was active in the creation of policy and project selection during this time. From 2001 to 2005, McCarthy was the Head of Production and Development at the

Irish Film Board Not to be confused with Northern Ireland Screen. Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, formerly known as Bord Scannán na hÉireann or the Irish Film Board, is Republic of Ireland, Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television an ...

, where he was instrumental in helping to create new production finance initiatives, including the Low Budget Initiative and the Micro Budget Digital/Development Fund. He was also actively involved in the selection and funding of projects for both development and production. Brendan McCarthy is a graduate of EAVE, ACE, Media Film School and Scale Strategics Marketing. In addition to this McCarthy has also acted as a Board Member of Media Desk Ireland and previously ran his own production company, Blue Light Productions. Brendon McCarthy at JDIFF 2011

After receiving 1st Class Hons MA in Screenwriting from

Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (), more commonly known as IADT Dún Laoghaire or simply IADT is an institute of technology with a focus on art and design located in Deansgrange near Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. It was esta ...

, in 2006, McCarthy’s screenplay for the horror film

Wake Wood ''Wake Wood'' (sometimes marketed as ''The Wake Wood'') is a 2009 Irish supernatural horror film directed by David Keating and starring Timothy Spall, Eva Birthistle, Ella Connolly and Aidan Gillen. An international co-production between Irel ...

was produced b
www.fantasticfilms.ie
in partnership with the legendary studio

Hammer Films A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

. The movie was released in the U.S. by

MPI Media Group MPI Media Group is an American producer, distributor and licensor of theatrical film and home entertainment. MPI's subsidiaries include MPI Pictures, MPI Home Video, Gorgon Video, and the horror film distributor Dark Sky Films. The company is ...

in 2011.

Career

He produced

Outcast (2010 film) ''Outcast'' is a 2010 British supernatural horror thriller film directed by Colm McCarthy and starring James Nesbitt. Plot Cathal (James Nesbitt) is a killer who is pursuing his former lover Mary (Kate Dickie). Mary, a woman who comes from an ...

directed by

Colm McCarthy (director) Colm McCarthy (born 16 February 1973) is a Scottish television director, who has directed several BBC drama productions.''BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasti ...

and starring

James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994). ...

Kate Dickie Kate Dickie (born 1971) is a Scottish actress who has appeared in television series, stage plays and films. She is known for her television roles as Lex in the BBC series '' Tinsel Town'' (2000–2001) and Lysa Arryn in the HBO series ''Game o ...

and fellow Scottish actress Hannah Stanbridge, who received a

Scottish BAFTA BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...

for her role in the film. Other films include ''

The Last Days on Mars ''The Last Days on Mars'' is a 2013 science fiction horror film directed by Ruairí Robinson with a screenplay by Clive Dawson, based on the short story "The Animators" by Sydney J. Bounds. It stars Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai, G ...

'' (2013), the debut feature film from Oscar-nominated Irish director

Ruairí Robinson Ruairí Robinson is an Irish film director and writer. Biography He is known mainly for his science-fiction short films and animations, one of which, ''Fifty Percent Grey'', was nominated for an Academy Award. ''Fifty Percent Grey'' was also ...

, selected for

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, 2013; the award-winning Stitches (movie) 2012, directed by Conor McMahon and starring

Ross Noble Ross Markham Noble (born 6 June 1976) is an English stand-up comedian and actor. Noble rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on panel shows such as '' Have I Got News for You' ...

and

Tommy Knight Thomas Lawrence Knight (born 22 January 1993) is an English former actor best known for playing Luke Smith in ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' and ''Doctor Who'', Kevin Chalk in the original run of '' Waterloo Road'', Cal Bray in ''Glue'' and Arc ...

, the Bollywood hit

Ek Tha Tiger ''Ek Tha Tiger'' () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language Action film, action thriller film directed and co-written by Kabir Khan (director), Kabir Khan and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, ...

2012, directed by

Kabir Khan (director) Kabir Khan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer who works in Hindi cinema. He started his career working in documentary films, and then made his feature film directorial debut in 2006 with the adventure thriller ''Kabul ...

and starring

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...

and

Katrina Kaif Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Rosemary Turcotte, 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received numerous accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee C ...

, the critically acclaimed

Hammer Horror Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classi ...

2011, directed by David Keating and starring

Timothy Spall Timothy Leonard Spall ( ; born 27 February 1957) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. S ...

Aidan Gillen Aidan Murphy (born 1967 or 1968), better known as Aidan Gillen (), is an Irish actor. He is known for his roles as Stuart Alan Jones in ''Queer as Folk (British TV series), Queer as Folk'' (1999–2000); Tommy Carcetti in ''The Wire'' (2004–20 ...

and

Eva Birthistle Eva Birthistle (born 16 April 1974) is an Irish actress and writer. She is best known for her roles in '' Bad Sisters'' and '' Ae Fond Kiss...'', and also starred in The Last Kingdom between 2015 and 2022. She won the London Film Critics Circ ...

. In 2019, he produced the film ''

Vivarium A vivarium (; or vivariums) is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Water-based vivaria may have open tops providing they are not connected to other water bodies. An animal enclosur ...

'', which starred

Imogen Poots Imogen Gay Poots (born 3 June 1989) is an English actress. She played Tammy in the post-apocalyptic horror film ''28 Weeks Later'' (2007), Linda Keith in the Jimi Hendrix biopic ''Jimi: All Is by My Side'' (2013), Debbie Raymond in the Paul Ray ...

and

Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( ; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. Recognized for playing smart but awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award and nominati ...

Filmography

Writer

*'' The Cherry Tree'' (2013) *''

'' (2011) *''The Metal Man'' (1989)

Producer

* '' Dead Meat'' (executive producer, 2004) * ''

Man About Dog ''Man About Dog'' is a 2004 Irish comedy film starring Allen Leech, Ciaran Nolan and Tom Murphy. The film was distributed by Redbus Film Distribution and directed by Paddy Breathnach. Plot The main characters are Mo Chara, Scud Murphy and C ...

'' (executive producer, 2004) * ''

Breakfast on Pluto ''Breakfast on Pluto'' is a 1998 novel by Patrick McCabe. The book was shortlisted for the 1998 Booker Prize, and was adapted for the screen by McCabe and Neil Jordan; Jordan directed the 2005 film. The author derived the novel's title from the ...

'' (executive producer, 2005) * ''

48 Angels ''48 Angels'' is a 2007 drama film directed by Marion Comer and starring Shane Brolly, John Travers (actor), John Travers, Ciaran Flynn, and Sean McGinley. Plot Seamus (Ciaran Flynn) is a 9-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with a serious illn ...

'' (executive producer, 2007) * '' Outcast'' (producer, 2010) * ''

'' (producer, 2011) * ''

'' (executive producer, 2012) * '' Stitches'' (producer, 2012) * ''

'' (co-producer, 2013) * ''

Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

'' (co-producer, 2017) * ''

'' (producer, 2019) *''

Woken ''Woken'' is a 2024 dystopian science fiction thriller film starring Erin Kellyman and Maxine Peake. It is written and directed by Alan Friel in his feature length directorial debut. Synopsis Anna is being nursed to health by Helen and Peter on a ...

'' (producer, 2024)

References

External links

Fantastic Films
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Brendan Living people Irish film producers Year of birth missing (living people) Irish male screenwriters 21st-century Irish screenwriters Film people from Dublin (city)