Aoife O'Kelly

Aoife O'Kelly is an Irish writer and director currently based in London. 

After graduating with a degree in English Literature and Psychology, Aoife went on to pursue her love of film in Dublin, working with a number of TV & Film production companies over the years, learning the ropes across many different departments.   It wasn't long until she decided directing was what she wanted to do and was soon accepted onto the MA in Directing Fiction at Goldsmiths University in London.     Her graduation short film Lula, travelled the festival circuit including London Short Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh and Newport Beach Film Festival, gaining several awards and nominations along the way.

She directed her first feature film, Walking with Shadows (a book adaptation) in collaboration with The Initiative for Equal Rights in Lagos, Nigeria. The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2019 and was nominated for outstanding first feature at the Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2021.

She returned to shorts in 2022 to make offbeat comedy Panic, which won Best International Director and was nominated for Best Comedy Film at the Portland Film Festival in Oregon. The Film is still on the circuit with next stop being the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival.

In the last year, Aoife has been participating in the Screen Ireland Mentorship Scheme being mentored by Wildfire director Cathy Brady and was selected as a Screen Ireland fellow for the Stowe Story Labs Connemara Writer's Retreat 2023  to work on her next feature script. Most recently, she was invited to become a member of BAFTA under the BAFTA Connect scheme 2023.

In Television, Aoife has also second-unit directed drama on reconstructive documentaries and Edit Produces in unscripted television for networks such as Discovery, Channel 5 and Sky History 

You can find out more or get in touch on her website: aoifeokelly.com