DAMIEN O'DONNELL (Director)

After graduating from Ireland's Rathmines College, Damien O'Donnell established ClingFilms with Paul Fitzgerald, Harry Purdue, and John Moore. He directed several commercials for high-profile companies, and emerged as a talent to watch with Thirty-Five Aside (1996), which follows an awkward schoolboy's misadventures at his new school.

Mr. O'Donnell wrote and directed the short film, which won more than 30 awards worldwide, including The Talent (the BBC's New Director Prize); Best of the Festival, London Film Festival; Best Short Film, Quebec Film Festival; Audience Prize, Geneva International Film Festival; Best of the Festival Selections, Edinburgh International Film Festival; and the (audience-voted) Best Short Film, Sydney International Film Festival.

The native Dubliner soon made his feature directorial debut with the dramatic comedy East is East (starring Om Puri, Linda Bassett, and Jimi Mistry), which world-premiered at the prestigious Directors Fortnight at the 1999 Cannes International Film Festival. The film won several awards, including Best British Film of the Year (from The Evening Standard and the London Film Critics Circle), and was nominated for six BAFTA Awards (including Best Film of the Year).

In 2000, Mr. O'Donnell was invited to contribute to the prestigious Beckett on Film project, and directed the "What Where" segment, starring Sean McGinley and Gary Lewis. His second feature as director was Heartlands (starring Michael Sheen, Mark Addy, and Jim Carter), which world-premiered at the 2002 Edinburgh International Film Festival.