Building upon relationships she made with fellow volunteers in India, she wrote The Waiting City – a mystic infused drama about a young Australian couple's journey to Calcutta to adopt a baby.
The Waiting City, starring Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton, Samrat Chakrabarti and Isabel Lucas had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, as part of the prestigious "Special Presentation" section.
In May 2016 it was announced that McCarthy would be directing an adaptation of The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, which would be produced by Viola Davis.
[2] In September 2016 it was announced that Davis will also star in the titular role, with Mahershala Ali as her husband and Quvenzhané Wallis as one of her daughters.
The couple have collaborated on The Waiting City, The Black Balloon, Skin, and other films, as well as Old Man River's Sunshine music video (set in Varanasi).