ABOUT
Imelda O’Reilly is a filmmaker and writer who is a native of Ireland. Her award winning work explores ‘lucht cuardaigh fírinne’, which is the Gaelic term for truth seekers. She blends elements of narrative, documentary, avant garde and mysticism. O’Reilly’s passion for stories began with her urge to delve into the unknown, sitting in dark cinemas to escape while endlessly watching characters created by the likes of Vincent Price, Peter O’Toole and Olivia de Havilland.
O’Reilly has lived on four continents Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Her lyrical approach to film delves into episodic story structure while mixing genres to reveal competing truths and emotionally complex characters. She was influenced early on by one of her favorite surrealistic novels “Les Chant de Maldoror” by Comte de Lautréamont in addition to Janet Frames “When Owls do Cry.”
Her recent films explore themes of exile, race and identity. This resulted in a series of short films and a feature-length screenplay. Titles include Eggs and Soldiers, Tumbling Towards Home and We’re the Kids in America.
O’Reilly is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Morocco in 2007. Other grants include NYWIFT, CUNY, CLEA, Mary Redman Foundation and a residency at Mabou Mines among others. As a commissioned writer on Song for New York her work was developed through the Sundance Theater Lab. Her plays Faz In Ate and Emilita and the Fairy Glen were produced in downtown Manhattan at the CSV. Her published work includes a collection of poetry titled I Wake in Half Dream (Lapwing Press) and Shenanigans: An Anthology of Fresh Irish Fiction (Sceptre Press).
Her feature screenplay titled We’re the Kids in America was an official selection for L’Atélier Cinéfondation, Cannes International Film Festival in 2018. Her previous films have screened at over seventy film festivals internationally and won awards. Festivals include DOC NYC, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Cinequest Film and VR Festival, International Film Festival de Creteil and Cyprus International Film Festival. Museum screenings include Vero Beach Museum of Art, Aalto University, Helsinki and Fordham University in New York City. Her film Eggs and Soldiers was broadcast on RTÉ and Bricks, Beds and Sheep’s Heads was a Regional Finalist for the Student Academy Awards.
Imelda has an MFA in Directing with honors from Columbia University and is an Associate Professor of Film at James Madison University. Previously she taught at New York University’s Graduate Film Program, TischAsia in Singapore. She is also currently developing a short narrative film titled Love at White Rabbit. Imelda was a juror for the Asia/Europe Film Festival, the Chicago Blow-Up Film Festival, and for the screenwriting competition for the Inwood Film Festival as well as a judge for the First Run Film Festival at NYU.
Director Imelda O’ Reilly with Cinematographer, Joe Foley, on the set of The Seamonster and The Milk Thistle.