JOHN CARNEY was the bass-player with The Frames until 1993, when he quit to concentrate on film-making.
Aside from shooting videos for The Frames, he also wrote, produced and directed two award-winning short films (Shining Star and Hotel) before moving onto features.
Carney hooked up with fellow director Tom Hall and the pair's first feature, November Afternoon (1999), was shot with a crew of two and a cast of four. The release gathered rave reviews at various festival screenings. A companion piece, Just in Time, followed within six months. The pair collaborated again the same year on Park.
In 2001 Carney was hired by Universal Studios to direct On the Edge, which starred Cillian Murphy and Stephen Rea. He then co-wrote and co-directed the acclaimed Bachelor's Walk TV series for RTÉ.
Carney's Once, which has won prestigious audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival and the Dublin International Film Festival, is released in Ireland next week. Fox Searchlight has acquired North American distribution rights.
