“The Penguin” star Colin Farrell has boarded Irish short film “Room Taken” as an executive producer.
TJ O’Grady-Peyton directs the film about loneliness, grief and the immigrant experience from a screenplay by first timer Michael Whelan while Colmán Mac Cionnaith (“Supergirl”) produces.
Bríd Brennan (“Hope Street”) stars alongside newcomer Gabriel Adewusi.
“‘Room Taken’ follows Isaac, newly arrived in Ireland and looking for a place to stay, when he secretly moves into the home of Victoria, an elderly blind woman, leading them to form a unique bond,” reads the synopsis.
“Room Taken” has qualified for the Oscars longlist after winning best short at the 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival and a gold medal for best film at the Manhattan Short Film Festival.
“‘Room Taken’ is such a gentle cry to the power of human connection,” said Farrell. “It treats loneliness and grief and the struggle of the immigrant with such a gentle hand, bringing its character and narrative threads together beautifully. The film wears its compassion – along with its heart – on its sleeve with tender performances and a story that stayed with me long after viewing. For these reasons I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of helping ‘Room Taken’ find as wide an audience as possible.”
O’Grady-Peyton’s previous works including IFTA award-winning short film “Wave” as well as 2021’s “Silence,” which was nominated for an IFTA.
“Room Taken” was funded by Screen Ireland. Screen Ireland’s Emma Scott is an executive producer alongside Sandro Monetti, Christopher Oakland, David Treatment and Cormac Fox of Vico Films.
