Director of Irish short film says being on Oscars shortlist is ‘surreal’

The director of an Irish short film that has made the shortlist for the Oscars has described the honour as “surreal”.

Room Taken “shares a beautiful and fairytale-like story of a newly-arrived migrant in Dublin who, in a desperate need for a place to stay, finds an unexpected answer to his temporary homelessness when he takes refuge in the home of an elderly blind woman without her knowledge. As these two strangers coexist, a touching and unexpended bond forms between them”.

Director TJ O’Grady Peyton told BreakingNews.ie: “We noticed things that were happening in Ireland that were culturally relevant and unique experiences that people were having for the first time, compared to other countries like France and Germany, other major countries where it’s been happening for a while.

“We allowed it to inform this story, it wasn’t the original intention, but it was important subject matter to tackle and also relevant for our character. If the lead character was Irish he would be less…