Boyne Valley International Film Festival announced that the 2025 Filmmaker in Focusing is IFTA winner TJ O'Grady-Peyton.
In 2018, TJ O’Grady-Peyton won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Short for his short film Wave. Subsequently, Wave was featured in The New Yorker and by Disney. After premiering at Tribeca, Wave screened at 75 festivals, including BFI London, Melbourne, and Clermont-Ferrand. He received the Discovery Award from the Dublin International Film Festival and the Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the Galway Film Fleadh.
Most recently, his Screen Ireland-funded short film Room Taken, executive produced by Colin Farrell was nominated at the 22nd Irish Film and Television Awards, won Best Irish Short Film at the Dublin International Film Festival and Best Short Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The film was shortlisted among the final 15 for the Academy Awards 2025, appeared on Variety‘s online For Your Consideration festival The Shortlist, and has won 45 awards to date.
Speaking about the film, President Michael D. Higgins said "Room Taken is a powerful vindication of the possibility and role of film in revealing to us aspects and challenges to our humanity. It is more than a beautiful production; it is a theme that uses the art form of film so well."
The Filmmaker in Focus recipient is selected by directors Frank W. Kelly and Collette Farrell. They will receive a dedicated programme of their work during the festival and €2000, followed by a live interview and the presentation of the Filmmaker in Focus award Recipients so far include Roisin Kearney, Clare Monnelly and Aaron Monaghan.
Boyne Valley International Film Festival is taking place in the Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda from August 8th to 10th 2025
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