Born in Dublin, Lenny Abrahamson is one of Ireland’s most celebrated and award-winning film directors. After graduating from college and directing commercials, both in Ireland and the UK, he made his first film in 2004 with the comedy Adam & Paul, which follows the day in the life of two Dublin drug addicts. Now frequently regarded as a ‘classic Irish film’, it won Abrahamson an IFTA Award for Best Director. His second feature in 2007, Garage, also written by Mark O’ Halloran, was similarly critically acclaimed and won four IFTA Awards including Best Film, Script and Abrahamson’s second for Best Director. The filmmaker collaborated with O’ Halloran for the third time on the RTÉ four-part drama series Prosperity, cementing his reputation as a director highlighting people on the fringes of Irish society.
In 2012, Abrahamson released his third film What Richard Did, making a star from its young lead Jack Reynor and becoming the highest grossing Irish film of the year. The film received almost universal acclaim including a five-star review from The New York Times and picked up five IFTA Awards including Best Film, Script, Lead Actor and another for Abrahamson. His next film
Lenny Abrahamson is an award-winning director, currently in production on his fifth feature film (Room) as director. Past work includes Frank (2014) starring Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson, What Richard Did (2013), starring Jack Reynor; Adam & Paul and Garage, both written by Mark O'Halloran, the latter of which won the CICAE award at the Directors Fortnight at Cannes in 2007. Lenny also worked with Mark O'Halloran on the highly acclaimed Prosperity television series.
In 2020, Abrahamson directed the hit drama series Normal People for which he won Best Director - Drama and Best Drama at the 2021 IFTA Awards.