| Joe Comerford | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1947 Dublin, Ireland |
| Education | National College of Art and Design |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Known for | Reefer and the Model |
Joe Comerford (born 1947) is an Irish film director. His film Reefer and the Model (1988) earned three nominations at the European Film Awards, winning none.
Career
Comerford was born in 1947 in Dublin, Ireland, graduating from the National College of Art and Design in the 1960s. In the 1970s he began working for RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, where he learned camera operation and general studio production. Two years later, he left RTE to make independent films. In 1969 he made Swan Alley. His first public short, Emtigon (1971), was followed by Withdrawal (1973) and Down the Corner (1977). He has directed three feature films: Traveller (1981), written by Neil Jordan; Reefer and the Model (1988); and High Boot Benny (1993). All his films share a general concern for those on the margins of what was an increasingly affluent Irish society.
His short Waterbag (1984) was funded by the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board.
Comerford's films of the 1970s and 1980s featured dysfunctional familial settings, analogous to Ireland's political and religious conditions at the time. His early films have been described as challenging to watch, as they often do not follow a linear narrative, but move forward as a series of vignettes.
In 2008 he filmed the short Roadside, which he later incorporated into the installation Roadside Film Sculpture in 2012.
Awards
Nominated – European Film Awards Best Young Film, 1988
References
- ^ "Reefer and the Model". European Film Awards. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- "Joe Comerford Films". joecomerfordfilms. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Comerford, Joe (1947-) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- Allon, Yoram; Cullen, Del; Patterson, Hannah, eds. (2001). Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide. Wallflower Press. pp. 64–65. ISBN 9781903364215 – via Google Books.
- Altuna-García de Salazar, Asier (2017). Ireland and Dysfunction: Critical Explorations in Literature and Film. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 9781443864084 – via Google Books.
- Flynn, Roderick (2007). Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema Volume 17 of Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts. Scarecrow Press. pp. 59–60. ISBN 9780810864351 – via Google Books.
- Finn, Eugene. "Painting a Feature" (PDF). Irish film Institute. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- Galway International Arts Festival (28 July 2012). "Joe Comerford Roadside- interview". Retrieved 12 January 2018.