Carol Morley

Carol Anne Morley (born 14 January 1966 in Stockport, Cheshire) is an English film director, screenwriter and producer. She is best known for her semi-documentary Dreams of a Life, released in 2011, about Joyce Carol Vincent, who died in her North London bedsit in 2003, but was not discovered until 2006.

Her older brother is the music journalist, critic and producer Paul Morley.

Early life

Born in Stockport, Morley left school at the age of sixteen to be a singer in various bands. When she was thirteen she was in a band called The Playground, later on she was a part of a band called TOT.

Morley’s father committed suicide when she was eleven and at the age of twelve she started drinking alcohol. After a traumatic experience due to alcohol Morley lay off the drinking until she was sixteen. 1982, the same year Morley left school, the nightclub The Haçienda opened in Manchester. Morley spent a lot of time at the Haçienda until she was 21 and left Manchester.

Somewhere in between 1986 – 1987 Morley left Stockport and Manchester to live in London. She decided to attend Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design where she studied Fine Art Film. Morley graduated from Central Saint Martins in 1993 with an honours degree in fine art film and video. She did not return to Manchester for twelve years and when she did it was for the purpose of her documentary The Alcohol Years.