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Birthday:
01-01-1979
Deathday:
11-05-2023 (44 years)
Birthplace:
Dublin, Ireland
Biography
Ross Alexander McDonnell was an Emmy-winning Irish cinematographer and director, known for working on documentaries.
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Their works
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Swift Justice
Director
event2023 star_border 6
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In August, 2021, the Taliban swept back into power after 20 years of war with the US. Their return has had profound consequences for Afghanistan, and their implementation of harsh Islamist rule has upended life for many Afghans. A key aspect of Taliban governance is the implementation of Sharia Law, fulfilling one of the key promises of Taliban rule- the promise of equal justice under Quranic principle. 'Swift Justice' is an observational look at one such court room in Musa Qala, Helmand province, a heartland of Taliban resistance. Here we see rural Afghans play out their roles as plaintiffs and defendants, searching for justice in this complicated and delicate time of peace and increasing authoritarian rule.
The First Wave
Co-Producer
event2021 star_border 6.8
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When Covid-19 hit New York City in 2020, filmmaker Matthew Heineman gained unique access to one of New York’s hardest-hit hospital systems. The resulting film focuses on the doctors, nurses, and patients on the frontlines during the “first wave” from March to June 2020. Their distinct storylines each serve as a microcosm to understand how the city persevered through the worst pandemic in a century
Obvious Child
Set Photographer
event2014 star_border 6.5
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An immature, newly unemployed comic must navigate the murky waters of adulthood after her fling with a graduate student results in an unplanned pregnancy.
14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible
Additional Photography
event2021 star_border 7.3
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In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the effort “Project Possible 14/7” and saw it as a way to inspire others to strive for greater heights in any pursuit. The film follows his team as they seek to defy naysayers and push the limits of human endurance.
The Dissident
Camera Operator
event2020 star_border 7.2
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When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world are left to piece together the clues to a brutal murder and expose a global cover up perpetrated by the very country he loved.
Retrograde
Additional Photography
event2022 star_border 7.1
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The story of the last months of the 20-year war in Afghanistan through the intimate relationship between American Green Berets and the Afghan officers they trained.
What If
Set Photographer
event2013 star_border 6.7
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Medical-school dropout Wallace has been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So while everyone around him, including his roommate Allan, seems to be finding the perfect partner, Wallace decides to put his love life on hold. It is then that he meets Chantry, an animator who lives with her longtime boyfriend Ben. Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, striking up a close friendship. Still, there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder, what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?
Life's a Breeze
Still Photographer
event2013 star_border 6.1
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An unemployed slacker, his aged mother and his niece must overcome their many differences to find a lost fortune.
Elián
Director
event2017 star_border 6.5
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The story of Elián Gonzalez, a five-year-old Cuban boy plucked from the Florida Straits, and how the fight for his future changed the course of U.S.-Cuba relations. Featuring personal testimony, interviews, and a news archive, this documentary recounts Elián’s remarkable rescue on Thanksgiving Day in 1999, after his mother and 10 others fleeing Cuba perished at sea, and the custody battle between the boy’s Cuban father and his Miami-based relatives.
Colony
Director
event2009 star_border 6.5
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The unexplainable phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder has left landscapes of empty beehives all across the US, threatening not only the beekeeping industry but our food supply. As scientists and beekeepers search for the cause, Colony captures the struggle within the beekeeping community to save the honeybee and themselves. Colony documents a time of unprecedented crisis in the world of the honeybee through the eyes of both veteran beekeeper, David Mendes, and Lance and Victor Seppi, two young brothers getting into beekeeping when most are getting out. As Mendes tries to save the nation's collapsing hives, the Seppi's try to keep their business alive amidst a collapsing economy.
Cartel Land
Additional Director of Photography
event2015 star_border 7.2
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In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
One Million American Dreams
Director of Photography
event2018 star_border 6
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The story of one of New York's darkest secrets: An island where one million American souls are buried. Those who fell through the cracks of the American dream buried by prisoners from Rikers Island.
Remember Me, My Ghost
Director
event2011
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An exploration into the domestic lives of the residents of the disappearing flats in the Ballymun community. One woman's determination to better her life circumstances despite facing enormous personal challenges.
Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man
Producer
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This intimate portrait delves into the life of Gerry Adams, the polarizing Irish republican leader who played a pivotal role in guiding Northern Ireland from decades of conflict to a hard-won peace, revealing the complexities behind one of the most debated figures of our time.
Omnivore
Director of Photography (3 ep.)
event2024 star_border 8
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From Peruvian salt flats to Rwandan coffee forests, explore and celebrate the ingredients that built societies, shaped beliefs, and forever altered the tapestry of humanity.
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