AISLINN CLARKE WINS UK ACADEMY GOLD FELLOWSHIP FOR WOMEN GRANT
09 October 2019
Aislinn Clarke, a Queen’s BA Film Studies and MA in Scriptwriting graduate, now a lecturer at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry in the School of Arts, English and Languages at the University, has received a £20,000 bursary, the second UK Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, sponsored by Swarovski.
As reported in the latest ScreenDaily, the writer-director of horror movie The Devil’s Doorway, and Artistic Director at the Wireless Mystery Theatre, also receives a year-long mentorship from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), part of AMPAS’ Action: The Academy Women’s Initiative, which was launched in 2018 to support emerging female filmmakers.
Aislinn has worked in film, TV, theatre, and radio for over fifteen years and is currently writing and directing features for several BAFTA and Oscar-winning companies. Her work has been broadcast nationally, as well as in the USA, Canada, and Germany. She has been profiled as a theatre director in The Stage magazine, and her theatre work has toured extensively across the UK and Ireland.
Born in Dundalk in County Louth, Aislinn moved north to Belfast as a 15-year-old and was the first member of her family to attend university. She is also the first Irishwoman to write and direct a feature-length horror movie.
The Devil’s Doorway, launched in July 2018 in the USA to critical acclaim, is a found footage horror film, set in a Magdalene laundry in 1960s Ireland. The movie, which received funding from Northern Ireland Screen, was filmed entirely in Northern Ireland. It is currently on Sky Cinema and Amazon Prime (UK).
Speaking to ScreenDaily about her latest success, Aislinn said: “Working in the film industry is hard for everyone.
“Being working class, a single parent, and a bit older than some winners, shows me that all the hard work is worth it, and that people believe in me.
“I had my son when I was 17. It was not a good time in Northern Ireland,” she explained. “I lived in a village where there was often evacuations (due to the political Troubles). There was lots of tumult in my life. But I am tenacious. It would have been really easy to leave school early but I stuck at it. I’m really stubborn. I just wouldn’t give up.”
As a writer-director, Aislinn is now working with US producer Marianne Maddelena on a thriller about a custody battle, called Slow Burn. Early development is being funded by Northern Ireland Screen.
“As a director I’m also attached to Cunning Folk (written by Adam Neville and produced by Imaginarium] which is seeking finance with a view to shooting next summer,” she added.
“It’s a folk horror, set around a neighbour dispute. The project attracted me because of its fresh take on the folk horror sub-genre, as well as its intelligent handling of the themes of masculinity and restrictive gender roles for men. I had to put the script down and walk away from it several times.
It’s terrifying and wonderful and I can’t wait to bring it to life.”
Aislinn began making short films as an undergraduate student at Queen’s. During her degree she also worked as an usher at Queen's Film Theatre (known by most people as QFT), where the Northern Ireland premiere of The Devil's Doorway took place. After graduating she put her filmmaking ambitions on the back-burner to raise her son, working instead in the TV industry, documentaries and producing.
She has indicated that she intends using her award, in part, to spend more time working on film in Los Angeles.
Aislinn Clarke can be contacted at the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s, telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 1072.
Media enquiries to Zara McBrearty at Queen’s Communications Office on +44 (0)28 9097 3259.
To submit graduate news items, or for general enquiries about this story, contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office, Queen's University Belfast or telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.
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