“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.”
– Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland

“Tinged with a hint of the extraordinary.”
– Mike Leigh, Palme d’Or winner and seven-time Oscar nominee

“One of the best Irish films in recent years.”
– Gráinne Humphreys, Director, Dublin International Film Festival

TJ O’Grady-Peyton’s Screen Ireland-funded short Room Taken, executive produced by Colin Farrell, was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards, featured on Variety’s The Shortlist and is streaming on Disney+.

His short Wave, in which he also acted, premiered at Tribeca, won the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Short and was featured in The New Yorker. It screened at 75 festivals, including BFI London, Melbourne and Clermont-Ferrand, winning over 20 awards. He also received the Dublin International Film Festival’s Discovery Award and the Galway Film Fleadh’s Bingham Ray New Talent Award.

He took part in a Werner Herzog masterclass in the Amazon and was selected for Les Nuits en Or, the French Academy of Film’s touring programme of the year’s standout shorts, in partnership with UNESCO. A member of the Directors Guild of America, he is represented for film and television by New Story Management in Los Angeles.

TJ first gained industry recognition at the Young Director Awards in Cannes. Since then, his work has earned honours from the Webby Awards, Clio Awards, Art Directors Club, Kinsale Shark Awards, 1.4 Awards and AICP. He has directed for clients such as Guinness, Under Armour, UEFA, Asics, Volkswagen, BMW, Nivea, the Premier League and the European Union.