John Carney began his film career writing, producing and directing two award-winning short films, SHINING STAR and HOTEL, and directing videos for Irish Band The Frames.
His first feature film, NOVEMBER AFTERNOON, a low-budget black-and-white production, was voted Best Feature of 1997 by the Irish Times, and ran on the U.S. festival circuit.
John wrote, directed and scored his next project, the hour-long TV film JUST IN TIME, starring Frances Barber and Gerard McSorley. The Irish Times voted it Best TV Film of 1998.
Carney’s next film was the edgy drama Park which premiered at the Dublin Film Festival in 1999. He subsequently co-wrote and directed ON THE EDGE, starring Cillian Murphy and Stephen Rea, for Universal Studios. John won the Silver Hitchcock Award for the film at the 2001 Dinard Film Festival. The film was distributed internationally by UIP.

After completing post-production, John turned his hand to TV writing, co-writing and directing three Series of the hit RTÉ television Series BACHELORS WALK, the most successful independently produced drama in the history of Irish television.
In 2006, Carney directed the feature movie ONCE, a music drama about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story. First released at the Galway Film Fleadh, ONCE had its official world release that the Sundance Film Festival in January 2007 and went on to win the World Cinema Audience Award in the Category Dramatic.

Carney’s latest feature ZONAD, co-directed with brother Kieran had its Irish premier at the 21st Galway Film Fleadh with a national release due later in the year. ZONAD is a comedy about an escapee from a rehab facility who hides out in a village in rural Ireland and fools the locals by pretending to be a visitor from outer space.