Victoria Mahoney is an American actress and filmmaker. Her debut feature was 2011’s Yelling to the Sky.
Victoria Mahoney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Victoria Mahoney |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
Career
editActing
editThroughout the 1990s and early 2000s Mahoney worked as an actress in largely unnamed roles, appearing in Seinfeld as the character Gladys[1] and in the movie Legally Blonde.[2] In 1992 she starred as Antinea in the French film L'Atlantide, based on the French novel Atlantida by Pierre Benoit. Her most recent appearance in front of the camera was a brief cameo in Ava DuVernay's short film Say Yes in 2013.[citation needed]
Directing
editVictoria Mahoney made her feature directing debut in 2011 with the semi-autobiographical film Yelling to the Sky.[1] The film follows a young girl’s struggle in high school and her difficult home life. She developed the script through the help of the Directors and Screenwriters Sundance Institute Labs[3] and was awarded the titles of Auerbach Screenwriting Fellow, Annerberg Film Fellow, Cinereach Fellow, Maryland Fellow, IFP Narrative Lab fellow and a Tribeca Film Fellow. The film starred Zoe Kravitz as a troubled teen and Jason Clarke as her father.[4]
Yelling to the Sky debuted in competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Bear.[5] Mahoney was the first woman director/writer, American invited in over sixty years to the Golden Bear competition.[citation needed] Variety gave the film a mixed review saying it had, "a strong directional voice struggling to be heard," and was, "strong on texture but taxingly light on narrative."[6] Yelling to the Sky also screened at SXSW before releasing theatrically and on streaming in December, 2012.[7][8]
In 2013, she was nominated for the inaugural Tribeca Film Institute's Heineken Affinity Award's $20,000 prize. In a profile accompanying her nomination, Mahoney explained what she wants people to take away from her films saying, “My overriding intentions as a filmmaker, is to tap into individual inquiries and reflect-whatever is hidden... From my filmmaking, I’d love audiences to receive some measure of inspiration; to investigate the human condition.”[2] Mahoney ultimately lost to Ava DuVernay, with whom she would later partner on a television project in 2020.[9][10]
In the same year, Mahoney directed a short film starring Selena Gomez and Shiloh Fernandez for Flaunt.[11] She also directed several episodes of television shows, including Queen Sugar and You.[12] In 2018 Mahoney was hired as second unit director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, marking her as the first woman to direct on a Star Wars film in the franchise's forty year history.[5]
In 2020, Amazon Studios announced that Mahoney would be working with Ava DuVernay to adapt Octavia E. Butler’s sci-fi novel Dawn for television.[10] In 2021, Netflix announced that Mahoney would take over directing duties from Gina Prince-Bythewood as director for The Old Guard 2.[13]
Filmography
editFilm
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Yelling to the Sky | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2025 | The Old Guard 2 | Yes | No | No |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Wracked | Yes | Yes |
| 2013 | Searching | Yes | No |
TV movies
- Bleach (2014)
- Under the Bridge (TBA)
Television
| Year | Title | Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Survivor's Remorse | "The Photoshoot" |
| Queen Sugar | "By Any Chance"[12] | |
| Grey's Anatomy | "Falling Slowly" | |
| 2017 | American Crime | "Season Three: Episode Three" |
| Gypsy | "Euphoria" | |
| "Marfa" | ||
| Claws | "Fallout" | |
| Power | "That Ain't Me" | |
| 2018 | Seven Seconds | "Witnesses for the Prosecution" |
| You | "The Captain" | |
| 2019 | I Am the Night | "Dark Flower" |
| "Matador" | ||
| The Red Line | "We Must All Care" (Also producer) | |
| 2020 | Lovecraft Country | "A History of Violence" |
| 2021 | The Morning Show | "Confirmations" |
| 2022 | Night Sky | "Lake Diving" |
| 2024 | Grey's Anatomy | "I Can See Clearly Now" |
| 2025 | Suits: L.A. | "Pilot" (Also executive producer) |
References
edit- ^ a b "Victoria Mahoney". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ a b "Heineken Affinity Award Profile: Victoria Mahoney". Tribeca Film Institute. 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (2018-04-17). "'Star Wars: Episode IX' Hires Victoria Mahoney as Second Unit Director". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Guagenti, Toni (2013-02-11). "Inner-city drama pushes first-timer Victoria Mahoney to the top of new directors". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-10-26). "'Rise Of Skywalker' Second Unit Director Victoria Mahoney To Helm Lionsgate Action Drama 'Shadow Force'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (2011-02-12). "Yelling to the Sky". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Mulligan, Billy (2011-03-12). ""Yelling to the Sky" Producer Billy Mulligan, Part One". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Peck, Patrice (2012-12-13). "Victoria Mahoney Takes a Risk in Directorial Debut, 'Yelling to the Sky'". EBONY. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (2013-04-20). "TFI unveils Heineken winner". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (2020-02-26). "Ava DuVernay, Victoria Mahoney Team for 'Dawn' TV Series at Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ ""Searching" Starring Selena Gomez & Shiloh Fernandez". YouTube. 11 November 2013.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ a b Felton, Lena (2019-12-20). "The 'secret' the first female director of 'Star Wars' didn't want fans to know before opening night". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "'The Old Guard 2': Netflix And Skydance Tap Victoria Mahoney To Direct Next Installment As Charlize Theron And KiKi Layne Close Deals To Return". Deadline. Retrieved 2011-08-26.