Cara Gaynor

Observational, Intimate, Character

For Cara, every story begins with who, not what. Whatever the format, she's drawn to the moments that give it emotional weight.

I'm drawn to stories of family, connection and belonging, shaped by both my Irish and Italian-American upbringing. I bring the intimacy and curiosity of documentary filmmaking to every project I direct.

I first gained recognition documenting the Republic of Ireland Women's National Team's historic journey to their first FIFA Women's World Cup. While football introduced many people to my work, it was never the subject that interested me most - it was always the people behind it.

Since then, I've directed work for clients including Diageo, Guinness Storehouse, Champions Travel, Amgen, SSE Airtricity and the League of Ireland.

Our short documentary, Long Balconies, Vibrant's first fully in-house produced documentary, won Best Charity Film at the Emerging Directors Awards, while my episodes from the Powered By series for SSE Airtricity x League of Ireland was shortlisted for Best Commercial in two consecutive years.

Alongside commercial directing, I continue to develop original documentary and fiction projects exploring stories of identity, family and belonging.