Three of Ireland’s leading talents have been revealed as executive producers for Oscar-qualified short films Room Taken, The Boat, and Calf.
The news comes as a final push ahead of voting for the Oscar Shortlist closing tomorrow, December 13th, with the official Shortlists being revealed next Tuesday, December 17th.
Below we take a look at the three projects that Colin Farrell (Room Taken), Brendan Gleeson (The Boat), and Sharon Horgan (Calf) have joined. All three films are available to view on Omeleto’s Youtube channel, which you can view below.
Room Taken
Oscar nominated actor Colin Farrell was the first of the three to board a project, with The Penguin star joining TJ O’Grady Peyton’s Room Taken. Funded through the Screen Ireland Focus Short scheme, the film qualified for this year’s Academy Awards consideration after winning Best Short at Cleveland International Film Festival and a Gold Medal at Manhattan Short Film Festival.
Produced by Colmán MacCionnaith with a script from debut writer Michael Whelan, the film stars Bríd Brennan (Hope Street) alongside newcomer Gabriel Adewusi.
Room Taken is a film about loneliness, grief and the immigrant experience. It follows Isaac, who has 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.
Speaking about the film, executive producer Colin Farrell said: “Room Taken is such a gentle cry to the power of human connection. 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 film Waves received an IFTA Award for Best Short in 2018. Room Taken is also executive produced by Screen Ireland’s Emma Scott, Sandro Monetti, Christopher Oakland, David Treatman, and Cormac Fox of Vico Films.
The Boat
Coincidentally (or preferably in an active effort to reignite their infamous on-screen feud in The Banshees of Inisherin), fellow Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson has subsequently joined as executive producer on competing Irish short film The Boat, from Galway-based filmmakers the Morgan Brothers.
Produced by brothers Luke and Jake Morgan, The Boat is based on a true story of a father whose daughter displays some early symptoms of leprosy, forcing him to make a devastating decision. The heart-breaking short film qualified for consideration at this year’s Academy Awards following its wins at both the Foyle Film Festival and Cork Film Festival.
The film was made in association with Mission To End Leprosy (TMTEL), a global network of organisations sharing a passion to end the oldest known and still existing communicable disease in human history. The Morgan brothers say they are “committed to using their success to support organisations working towards eradicating leprosy” with the film acting as a “catalyst for change, inspiring audiences to join the mission to end leprosy and break down the stigma associated with this age-old disease”.
Speaking about the project, executive producer Brendan Gleeson said: "Morgan Brothers The Boat is a powerful short film about the decisions and sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love. This award-winning short film demonstrates the importance of using storytelling as a means to bring issues hidden under the surface to light. I am delighted to be associated with it on its continued journey to reach as wide an audience as possible”
Calf
Jamie O’Rourke’s IFTA winning short film Calf is the most recent project to confirm the news of an executive producer with BAFTA winning writer/producer/actor Sharon Horgan joining the team.
Written by Jamie O’Rourke, the domestic abuse-themed Irish short is set way out in the countryside, a place where the worst things are silenced, where a sinister farm accident leaves Cáit with a terrible decision to make.
Produced by Ronan Cassidy of Carbonated Comet for Virgin Media Television in association with Screen Ireland, the film stars Isabelle Connolly (God’s Creatures) and Kate Nic Chonaonaigh (The Quiet Girl). It was funded by Virgin Media and Screen Ireland under the Virgin Discovers film fund. Other exec producers include Sinead Stimpfig and Daniel Lloyd for Virgin and Andrew Byrne of Screen Ireland.
Separate to the award for Best Short at the IFTAs, Calf has also won the International Danzantes at the Huesca Film Festival, which also qualified the project for consideration at this years Academy Awards.
Speaking about the new executive producer Sharon Horgan said: “Calf got under my skin and stayed with me for days. Jamie is a true, singular, talent and it’s a privilege to get to be part of the team around this brutal but beautiful piece of work.”
