Shimmy Marcus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 Dublin |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, Sound engineer |
Shimmy Marcus is an Irish filmmaker.
Marcus was born and raised in theDublin suburb ofTerenure, the son ofLouis Marcus (twice Oscar nominated documentary film-maker). He was educated at Stratford College, and studied Business Management and Advertising inDublin Institute of Technology.[citation needed]
After some years of traveling around the world, Marcus returned to Dublin in the early 1990s to work briefly as a recording and live sound engineer before turning to stage lighting and design.[citation needed] He developed stage lighting for several Irish indie bands at the time, includingEngine Alley,[1]LiR,Peach, andThe Unbelievable Children.[citation needed]
He wrote his first speculative screenplayHeadrush over Christmas 1994 and it was optioned shortly after by Ed Guiney of Element Films. He made his first short film in 1998,7th Heaven, which won the "Best Short Film" award at the Irish International Film Festival in New York.[2][3]In 1999, he won the Miramax Scriptwriting Award forHeadrush.[4]
In 2000 he released the feature documentaryAidan Walsh: Master of the Universe[5] which he directed, produced, and co-edited about underground cult performer Aidan Walsh. The film went on to win awards and became the first documentary made on video to receive theatrical and video distribution in Ireland.[citation needed]
In 2003 he completedHeadrush.[6] Again Marcus received awards and positive reviews, but despite positive reviews in outlets such asVariety,[7] the film failed to receive wide distribution.[original research?]In 2005 he released the film himself across 10 screens in Ireland, gaining modest box office takings.[citation needed]
Marcus continued experiment with different work, most notably his interpretations of three chapters fromJames Joyce'sUlysses in the feature documentaryImagining Ulysses[8] and his series of Limelight Shorts[9] commissioned by theDublin Theatre Festival to celebrate their 50th Anniversary.[citation needed]
Marcus also directed a documentary for RTÉ'sU2 Night (25 June 2005), and a music videos forFun Lovin' Criminals,Snow Patrol,Gavin Friday,Skin (Skunk Anansie),[10]Republic of Loose, andBP Fallon withJack White.[11]
In 2009 he complete his second featureSoulboy.[12] Set against the backdrop of the Northern Soul scene in the North of England in the mid 1970s, the film came second in the "Audience Award for Best Film" at its premiere at theEdinburgh International Film Festival. The low budget film was well-received by some critics.[13][14] and was released in the UK in September 2010.The Guardian called itThe Comeback Kid for punching above its weight at the box office.[15]
His second feature documentary,Good Cake, Bad Cake about the Irish bandLiR and their quest to make it in the music business, also received strong reviews on its limited release.[16][17]
Since then, Marcus has made two more award-winning short films,Rhinos andHannah Cohen's Holy Communion.[citation needed] In 2014 he set upBow Street Academy for Screen Acting in Smithfield, Dublin, where he is the artistic director.[citation needed]
7th Heaven [..] Winner Best Short Film, Irish International Film Festival, New York
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