Alan Maher is an Emmy Award-winning Irish film Producer and Co-Managing Director of COWTOWN PICTURES.
Prior to setting up Cowtown Pictures, Alan was lead producer on the film SONG OF GRANITE, which premiered at SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim in March 2017 and went on to screen at Karlovy Vary and Galway, where it won the Best Cinematography Award. It was released theatrically in Winter 2017 by Thunderbird Releasing and Wildcard Distribution in the UK, Ireland and Canada, and by Oscilloscope in the US. SONG OF GRANITE was Ireland's Official Entry for the Foreign Language category of the 2018 Academy Awards and was nominated for three IFTA Awards.
Other past projects include; Tom Burke’s feature documentary LOSING ALASKA, which premiered at IDFA in 2018 and was released theatrically by Breakout Pictures in November 2019; Maya Zinshtein’s FOREVER PURE (2016), which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2016, was sold internationally by Dogwoof and won the 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary; Claire Dix’s WE ARE MOVING: MEMORIES OF MISS MORIARTY which premiered at Audi Dublin International Film Festival in 2016; Anthony Wonke’s BEING AP (2015), which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2015, was distributed theatrically by eOne in the UK and sold internationally by HanWay; and Daisy Asquith’s AFTER THE DANCE, which screened on BBC4 in March 2015.
Alan was a Senior Executive/Executive Producer at Screen Ireland (formerly the Irish Film Board) for six years and was responsible for more than fifty feature films and documentaries including GOOD VIBRATIONS, GRABBERS, LAST HIJACK, KNUCKLE, MEA MAXIMA CULPA, THE SUMMIT, KELLY + VICTOR, DREAMS OF A LIFE, HIS & HERS and WAKE WOOD.
Alan also developed and co-produced the award-winning horror film CITADEL, directed by Ciarán Foy.
Alan was selected by European Film Promotion as Ireland’s Producer on the Move at Cannes 2017 and was named as one of the Hollywood Reporter’s ’10 Irish Talents to Watch’ in October 2017. He is member of the ACE Producer’s Network.
Before joining Screen Ireland, Alan was Head of Development at Element Pictures from 2002 until 2005.