CURRENT PROJECTS
6 BULLETS TO FIRE
This feature length documentary film is being produced over a three year period and follows a small group of thoroughbred horses through their racing careers. The owner, David Keoghan and trainer, Fozzy Stack are hoping to rear an international winner. Now in its second year the team are battling against the odds.
SCÉAL - EOGHAINÍN NA nÉAN
This short feature, adapted by Bridget Bhreathnach from Pádraig Pearse's short story, will be filmed in Galway in 2013.
IN DEVELOPMENT
THE MAN FROM THE BOG
Train-spotting in the Irish bog lands: a young man tries to cross the tracks against impossible odds.
NO FURY
A thriller set in Wicklow's wilderness and forests sees a man pitted against the odds, fighting for his survival.
RECENTLY COMPLETED
THE RADHARC SQUAD
A retrospective on the 400 films produced by the Radharc team between 1962 and 1996 considering their impact, value, purpose and legacy. For Tyrone Productions and RTÉ. WINNER IFTA 2013.
LIFERS
An hour long feature documentary filmed in extreme situations around the world examining the role and motivation of modern missionaries.
IRELAND OUTSIDE THE EURO
Economist, George Lee, examines Ireland's difficult relationship with the euro and looks at what might happen if Ireland were forced to leave the currency union.
ANGEL
A short film about a young girl wandering Dublin's dark streets encountering people experiencing the despair of adult life. Through brief connections the girl appears to transform their lives. Filmed in January 2011 by cinematographer, Brian O Carroll, directed by Ruán Magan, produced by Ruán Magan and Ned O Hanlon, designed by Padraig O Neill, Costumes by Chacha Seigne, edited by Stephen O Connell and posted in Windmill Lane Pictures. Patrick Bergin, Aobh Magan, Karl Shiels, Mary Murray, Ronan Leahy, Mark Doherty and Natalia Kostrzewa star.
OFFICIAL SELECTION to 18 FESTIVALS WORLD WIDE. WINNER FASTNET FILM FESTIVAL Best of Festival Award & Best Drama Award. WINNER CINEMATOGRAPHER'S GUILD Emerging Cinematographers Award. WINNER BEST SHORTS CALIFORNIA: 3 AWARDS including BEST FILM
THE MEN WHO BUILT AMERICA
A major drama-documentary series for The History Channel in America, produced by Stephen David Entertainment, tells the stories of some of the most powerful men the world has ever known including JD Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan and Cornelius Venderbilt. The series will be aired October 2012. Series Producer: Stephen David. Producer: Petra Hobel. Series Director: Patrick Reams. Director (Eps 1 and 2): Ruán Magan
dBMgallo & dBMgalloWORDS
Two short films presenting the process and execution undertaken by architect, Tom de Paor and his co-curators, Peter Maybury, Alice Casey and Cian Deegan, in creating the Irish pavilion for the 2010 Venice Biennale. The monumental tome weighing 8 tons in all, considers the work of one of Ireland's most successful archiectural practices, de Blacam & Meaghar. The first film captures the process of installation in the Church of Saint Gallo off Saint Mark's Square in Venice and while the second features Denis O'Brien, Nathalie Weadick, Tom de Paor, Peter Maybury, Alice Casey and Cian Deegan and Simon Walker discussing the work of de Blacam & Meagher and the making of the Irish pavilion for the Venice Biennale. The films will be shown in Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery in March 2011, The Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork (7th April to 22nd May), Limerick City Callerg of Art (July / August) and the Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast (1st September to 2nd October).
THE NAZARENE
A documentary film featuring sixty-eight year old Charlie Burrows who has spent four decades of his life living and working in the remote southern region of Cilacap in Java, Indonesia's central island. He has built a business empire valued at tens of millions of euro consisting of banks, construction companies, education systems and transport enterprises. If he were a normal business man he would be considering a pleasant retirement now after years of work. But Charlie is nothing like a normal capitalist. He is a missionary priest and everything he does has been built for the local people. What makes his endeavors all the more astonishing is that the people he works with are 99% Muslim and he has no intention of converting them. The film was awarded the ABC Audience Award in 2010.
PAST PROJECTS
CE CHONAIGH I MO THEACSA
This imaginative, creative history series tells the stories of some of the fascinating characters who lived in some old and very special houses. Produced by Tile Films the 12 part series will begin transmission in January 2012. NOMINATED Celtic Film Festival
THE END OF AGING (2010)A one hour documentary looking at how the human race is getting increasingly older and shows no signs of stopping. Presented by Professor Rose Anne Kenny and produced by Tile Films, the documentary considers what increasing life expectancy will mean for modern society. In Europe, half of baby girl born this year will live to be over 100 years of age. Some scientists believe that genetic medicine will bring about treatments that will impact on the ageing process even more extremely leading some, including Doctor Aubrey de Gray, to believe that the first person to live to be over 1000 years of age has already been born. The documentary was broadcast on 27th September 2010.
ON GOD'S MISSION (2010)
A two part documentary series, ON GOD’S MISSION (Tyrone Productions) told the story of the emergence of the Irish missionary movement from 1900 to the present day. This extraordinary mission, described by one contributor as the most important thing Ireland achieved during the first half of the twentieth century, saw 20,000 Irish men and women travel to the furthest regions of the world bringing their faith, education, medicine and humanitarian care to millions. The project examined what motivated them and explored their legacy. On God's Mission was nominated for a Radharc Award and will be transmitted again on 3rd March 2011.
BEYOND THE BERLIN WALL (2009)
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this four part documentary series presented by George Lee and produced by Animo TV, told the story of the Iron Curtain from World War II to the present day through the personal stories of people whose lives were touched incl. former Stasi officers, serial escapists and people who had their lives devastated by Cold War madness.
DEATH OR CANADA (2008)
This two part drama-documentary took a fresh look at the emigration of over a million people from Ireland during the Great Famine of the 1840s and found that during the worst year, 1847, the majority fled Ireland not for America but for Canada. The emigrants brought typhus with them forcing the Canadian authorities to set up quarantine stations along the route from the coast to Toronto in an attempt to halt the disease in its tracks. But their efforts met initially with failure. The documentaries told the true and tragic story of the Willis family, who set out from Ireland for Canada in the summer of 1847. Mary Willis watched in horror as each of her five children and finally her husband succumbed to the disease. Death or Canada, produced by Tile Films and Ballinran productions for The History Channel, History Television and RTE, was nominated for 4 Gemini Awards in Canada, and IFTA in Ireland and won two Archaeology Awards in America in 2010.
THE GHOST OF DUFFY'S CUT (2007)
The Ghost of Duffy's Cut explored the story of 57 Irish men who went to Philadelphia in 1837. They got work building the railroad there only to become infected by Cholera and to die. Their death was an embarrassment to the local railroad company who tried to cover up the catastrophe. On investigation it began to emerge that Cholera may not have been the only cause of death among the men. A team of archaeologists explored the ground in search of proof in this compelling Tile Films' documentary for RTE, the Smithsonian and The History Channel.
IN SEARCH OF THE POPE'S CHILDREN (2006)
In 2006 I took a break from directing to produce this IFTA-winning 3 part documentary series for Tyrone Productions. The Popes Children, presented by David McWilliams, broke new ground: it made economics popular with a mass TV audience. Based on David McWilliams eponymous book the series created a new, vigorous and dynamic style that set a new benchmark for public service broadcasting. It won an IFTA in 2007 and was celebrated by the world’s TV executives at INPUT the same year for combining popular entertainment, ratings and public service.
WHOSE AFRAID OF ISLAM (2005)
A series of three hour long documentaries taking an in depth look at the international world of Islam featuring journalist and writer, Mark Little, in a global exploration of all shades of the Umma from radical extremists to reforming liberals. Highlights included encounters with a Mujahideen Fighter in Amman, convert prisoners on death row in California, the so-called Muslim Madonna, Deeyah in London and Sufi mystics in Istanbul.
THE STRUGGLE (2004)
A drama-documentary telling the story of a small battle that took place in my grandmother, Sighle Humphries’ home in Dublin 1923 at the height of the Irish Civil War. The IRA Chief of Staff, Ernie O Malley, was using a secret cupboard in an upstairs room as his HQ when a battalion of Free State soldiers attacked. Ernie, alone, decided to shoot his way out. But SIghle jumped in to help. Together they held their own until Ernie was eventually shot, taking 12 bullets in total. This is a story of incredible daring. One wonders whether any of us today would have such courage or conviction. The Struggle was shown on RTE and The History Channel and was selected for inclusion in the Irish Reels Festival and Input in 2004.
THE GLOBAL NOMAD SERIES (1996 to 2004)
For eight years my brother, Manchán Magan, and I traveled the world exploring the expanses and cultures of China, India, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa and made 50 documentaries for the Irish channel, TG4. Compelled by very tight budgets we quickly learned to do everything ourselves. Manchán would write, research and present the programmes while I produced, directed, filmed and edited them. Our good friend, the New York-based composer, Ronan Coleman, joined us as location supervisor, sound recordist and music composer. These unique documentaries have always received a very positive reaction from both public and press and have been aired on over 25 television channels around the world.
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