2009 Juanita Wilson
Juanita studied Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, and Arts Management at University College Dublin. She then studied film production at the Irish Film Institute and subsequently worked for a number of years in independent film production in Dublin before returning to college where she graduated as a professional journalist at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The following year (1997) she decided to combine her creative energy with her business experience and set up Metropolitan Films with James Flynn to develop and produce challenging feature films.
Metropolitan Films' first production was the hard-hitting emotional drama, H3, on which Juanita worked as a script editor and creative producer. The film, directed by Les Blair and starring Brendan Mackey (Touching the Void), won the Audience Award at Bergamo Film Festival in Italy.
In 2002, Juanita developed and jointly produced Inside INSIDE I'M DANCING with James Flynn. The film is written by Jeffrey Caine, directed by Damien O’Donnell, and stars James McAvoy, Steven Robertson and Romola Garai. The film premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2004 where it won the Audience Award for Best Film.
In January 2008 Juanita directed her first drama piece the short film THE DOOR, about a father's attempt to come to terms with the devastating affects of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. THE DOOR has won national and international awards including Claire Lynch Award (Best First Short by an Irish Director) - Cork International Film Festival 2008; Best Irish Short Film - Foyle Film Festival 2008; Gold Medal Fiction - Bilbao International Film Festival 2008; Best Short Film - Irish Film and Television Awards 2008. THE DOOR has been in Official Selections for Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009, Munich International Film Festival 2009 and Telluride Film Festival 2009.
Juanita is currently in production for her first feature, AS IF I'M NOT THERE. AS IF I'M NOT THERE tells the story of Samira, a young Bosnian teacher, who is confined in a prison camp during the Balkan conflict of the early 1990s. Amidst the horror, cruelty and darkness of war, she finds her way to the light and a new reason to hope. Written and to be directed by Juanita, AS IF I'M NOT THERE is based on the acclaimed book by Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulić.
