| Maureen A. Ryan is a freelance producer based in New
York concentrating on feature films and documentaries. Ryan is the
producer of the feature documentary titled THE GATES which chronicles
the artists Christo and Jean-Claude as they create their latest
installation piece – over 7500 gates of saffron cloth that were placed
in New York City’s Central Park in February 2005. It premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and was co-directed by Albert Maysles and
Antonio Ferrera. It will air on HBO on the 3rd anniversary of The Gates
in 2008. She is also Co-Producer of a documentary about Philippe Petit,
the wirewalker who stunned the world when he walked between the World
Trade Center towers in 1974. Tentatively titled TO REACH THE CLOUDS,
the film will premiere on the BBC and Discovery channels next year after
it has completed a domestic and international theatrical run.
Ryan is currently producing a documentary titled GREY
GARDENS: FROM EAST HAMPTON TO BROADWAY. Directed by Albert Maysles it
follows the story of transforming the classic American documentary into
a successful Broadway musical in the fall of 2006. In addition, Ryan is
the producer of THE TEAM, a feature documentary that was shot in Summer
2003 in Graz, Austria and premiered on BBC Four and Denmark’s TV2
network. The film follows the NYC-based U.S. homeless soccer team as
they prepare and journey to compete against 18 other international teams
for the 1st Annual Homeless Soccer World Cup.
Other projects include the documentary AMACHI about a
mentorship program for Big Brother Big Sister of Memphis. The video
and PSA highlights this important program that matches mentors with
children of incarcerated parents. It won 3 Bronze Telly Awards and is
used by the Tennessee Corrections Department to enroll children and
mentors in the program. Ryan also produced a documentary about the
Titanic artifacts for the FedEx Corporation. That program won 2 Bronze
Telly Awards for 2007.
On the narrative feature film THE KING, Ryan served as
co-producer. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was
released in May 2006. It stars Gael Garcia Bernal, William Hurt and
Laura Harring and was co-written by director James Marsh (WISCONSIN
DEATH TRIP) and Milo Addica (MONSTER’S BALL, BIRTH). Marsh was recently
nominated for the Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director for this film.
Ryan recently completed the pilot episode of
Nonna’s Cooking, a food television series for the Italian American
Network. Starring Rose Ranaudo and Gianna Palminteri, the series
concentrates on learning the secrets and steps necessary to create the
best in Italian food.
Ryan was also co-producer on a short film titled TORTE
BLUMA that stars Stellan Skårsgard (GOOD WILL HUNTING, BREAKING THE
WAVES, THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING) and Simon McBurney (THE MANCHURIAN
CANDIDATE). It takes place in the Treblinka death camp and was shot in
and around New York City. The film won Best Short at the Palm Springs
International Festival of Shorts and the Best Drama Award at the L.A.
Shorts Film Festival in 2005. |
