About Maryanne Galvin

Maryanne Galvin is a documentary filmmaker as well as a practicing forensic psychologist in Boston, Massachusetts.

Her films have won awards at film festivals in the USA and abroad, and have been broadcast and distributed widely. Galvin has also written, directed, and produced three educational training videos for mental health and law enforcement professionals. She holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is a licensed and Board Certified (ABPP/Counseling) psychologist. She also earned the MFA in Creative Writing at Emerson College, Boston. Filmmaker, forensic psychologist, educator and entrepreneur – Dr. Galvin uses her background in psychology/behavioral science and creative writing to inform her visual story telling.

Galvin's 2012 film, Urban Odyssey, blends several areas of interest for the filmmaker: environment, community improvement, children and youth, aging, and health.

Her 2010 short film, Real Danger: Restraints & Our Children, received national and international recognition at film festivals, professional conferences (Am. Psychological Association, etc.)  and community based screenings. Real Danger presents nuanced, balanced look at to the controversial practice of restraining and secluding youngsters in schools, mental health and juvenile justice treatment centers in the USA. Weaving animation, archival and contemporary location footage, an original score and hard hitting intimate interviews, the film delivers an unexpectedly uplifting portrayal of the strength of the human spirit in some dire circumstances.

Several years ago, she chronicled the heated debate amongst her colleagues about their work as consultants to interrogations in U.S. national security detention centers.  Interrogate This: Psychologists Take on Terror, premiered in September 2008 at The Thin Line Film Festival in Texas.

"What's Going On Up There?"  narrated by Leonard Nimoy, presents a lay person's examination of current trends in the 'outer space' industry and is her sixth film in as many years. "As Is: A Downsized Life" examines the lives of nine people living economically simplified lives for a variety of reasons. "The Pursuit of Pleasure" explores the evolution of female sexuality since the US Women's Movement from the perspectives of 7 diverse women. Her previous films include: "Thanatos Rx: The Death Penalty Debate in America"; "Amuse Bouche: A Chef's Tale" about Chef Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park, Boston; and "High, Fast and Wonderful" about three priests who minister to circus performers, race car drivers and migrant workers. Galvin also shot, directed and produced the "Behind the Scenes" short on Alan Chan's "Postcards from the Future"