#FilmmakerFocus: Paddy Slattery talks feature films and more with BBC World Service

Round these parts we’re big fans of Offaly-born writer/producer/director Paddy Slattery. Over the last 6 years he has directed or produced a number of really interesting and exceptionally well made short films, including the IFTA nominated Skunky Dog, multi-award-winning Today, and the evocative non-narrative Sojourn. And later this year he embarks on his biggest challenge yet, a full-length feature film called The Broken Law of Attraction.

Slattery is an inspirational figure, who spends his time away from filmgiving motivational speeches. A car-crash in his youth left him with a severe spinal cord injury and quadraplegic, forcing him to change his outook on life. Cinema was never part of the plan, but being confined to a wheelchair left his original job on a building site as an impossibility. In a recent interview with the BBC World Service, which plays to over 5 million people globally, he talked about how the accident impacted him, saying that “My body switched off but my mind switched on.”

His new film, The Broken Law of Attraction, is a tale of tested fraternal bonds. The story is based around Dave Connolly, a Garda whose loyalty to the law gets tested by his younger brother Joe, who has a criminal background and in desperate need of his brother’s help. Being the older brother, Dave feels a sense of obligation and decides to help Joe, however, during that process, he meets and falls in love with a girl named Amia, who happens to be the victim of his brother’s previous crime. In order for this whirlwind romance to work, Dave must keep their relationship a secret. So, not only is Dave’s loyalty to the law tested but his loyalty toward his brother is also called into question. In time Dave’s plan begins to unravel and he discovers that you can break the law and possibly get away with it, but no matter how hard or fast you run, karma will always catch up with you.

Slattery is actively involved in both the OFFline Film Festival and with Film Offaly, and together with Gary Hoctor, Declan Recks, Eugene O’Brien, Garrett Daly, Martina McGlynn, and Miriam Smyth is a huge part of what makes the film seen in Offaly so vibrant. His work in helping and encouraging other filmmakers to work and make films in Offaly has led to the county being referred to as “Paddywood”.

We wish Paddy all the best with The Broken Law of Attraction, and will bring all of the latest news on the project as soon as we have it. For now check out his interview with the BBC World Service, and watch the one he did with RTÉ last year.