Dublin filmmaker Peter Lavery will make his grand debut on the big screen in the coming months with his much-anticipated feature film, All That Glitters. Intertwining Shakespearean romance with the chaos of modern school life, the film explores themes of love, rivalry, and self-discovery against the backdrop of teenage tumult – offering a thrilling twist on a timeless classic.
The last thing I saw and loved… David Nicholls’ adaptation of One Day. I loved the book and, in my view, the series nailed it – it’s rare a book is executed on screen so beautifully. The casting is excellent and each episode is built up perfectly to the now synonymous story climax.
The book I keep coming back to is… I don’t often re-read books (even favourites) however, if given a chance I’d delve back into Patrick Rothfuss’s The Kingkiller Chronicle – a fantastic series trilogy.
I find inspiration in… listening to music, going for walks, switching off. I don’t always get ideas when I’m sitting down writing at a desk – writing is all about getting ideas from the brain to the page in a structured/interesting way. I find inspiration often bubbles up and creative results come when I step away from the desk and switch off.
My favourite film is… my go-to favourite is Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Network. His musicality and the way his dialogue sounds mesmerise me. It’s inspiration for young writers on how to develop their specific voices and while I’m guilty of attempting to mimic his voice, this film informed me his voice belongs to him and that I need to find my own.
My career highlight is… my first short film, Tequila Dream. It was written in one night, was my first time directing and was shot and made with the help of a bunch of friends from film school – facing all sorts of obstacles trying to get it made at the time, Covid being one. We all did everything necessary to get the script to the screen, begging, borrowing and stealing and despite its very shaky beginnings, it went on to screen at festivals worldwide and won awards in various categories since.
The song I listen to to get in the zone is… Dermot Kennedy’s “Shelter”. It’s lyrically beautiful in an unpretentious way – you can feel the heart in it. I’m attracted to direct stories written in that vein.
The last artist I recommended is… lately I’ve been listening to an Irish folk bank called Kingfishr – I love their sound and keep telling everyone about them.
I never leave the house without… a protein shake (not in the way you’re thinking). I have a rare genetic disorder called PKU where my body is unable to break down an amino acid within protein. This is
managed by eating a low-protein diet that is supplemented with the medically modified protein shakes which I get on prescription.
I wrote the script for All That Glitters because… I struggled with Shakespeare’s plays when I was at school and I wanted to write a story inviting young adults to experience him in up-to-date terms – terms I hope will encourage a better understanding and interest in the relevance of his writing. When I sat down to write the ‘fish out of water’ story of Shakespeare coming back to help Ryan, a disinterested teenage boy get the role of Romeo and win his Juliet in his school’s rendition of the play, I wrote the script because it’s theme involved a subject that resonated with me directly.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… “Artists need to think like athletes” is advice that rings true to me. If an athlete doesn’t eat well, sleep well, and take good care of their health, then they’re not going to perform at their highest level. The same goes for artists; if their lifestyle involves eating junk food and falling out of bars etc., they’re not going to create their best art. It’s a variation on the old “no pain, no gain” maxim.
The art that means the most to me is… as already mentioned above, Dermot Kennedy always inspires me. His songwriting speaks to me in all moods and situations.
My favourite moment in this film is… when Ryan first begins to let Shakespeare in to coach him, when he first starts to see and understand the Bard’s usefulness – the moment after which follows their friendship blossoms.
My dream cast would be… in casting Paul Ready as Shakespeare and Elliot Grihault as Ryan and getting all the rest of the cast together that we have landed – I’ve already got my dream cast.
The most challenging thing about being in film is… the long hours spent hunched over a desk on sunny Saturdays, your back aching, desperately willing words to flow. But it’s well worth it. In the end, all the best books, films, music and art are the result of hard work – without which the world would be a very bewildered place.
If I wasn’t a filmmaker, I would be… a writer if that’s not a cheap answer given writing and filmmaking fall within the same artistic space. I’d say flying planes was always the childhood dream but seeing as I clearly wouldn’t have the mathematical ability required (and I’m also an anxious flyer), it’s a good thing I’m not a pilot!
The magic of film to me is… there’s a captivation that’s distinctively attributed to film. Viewers dip in and out of TV series and books are read across weeks or months in pre-bed-sized chunks but film involves a carefully paced-out story that draws the viewer into it like a kind of time machine (i.e.when it ends, you go, ‘Oh is it that time already?’). The magic happens when a film’s opening scene captures your attention immediately; it draws you in and involves you in its story. It’s a mystical thing. It’s a trick that has been adapted and contributed to by all directors, actors, cinematographers, editors – everyone involved ever since the Lumiere brothers first brought film to the screen in 1895. It’s the same magic known to all who have loved film since.
Imagery courtesy of Peter Lavery
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