Drogheda based filmmaker Declan Cassidy has brought 2024 to a close by adding yet another trophy to his growing collection by winning the Italian Fusion Festival, an annual celebration of the Italian community in Ireland.

With three of his projects racking up both national and international awards this year, the latest award came for the “Italians in Ireland” episode of his Coimisiún na Meán-funded TV series, Home Thoughts from Abroad.

“I’m thrilled,” Declan said. “I’ve been lucky enough to win awards for short films, but this is the first time a non-fiction programme of mine has been recognised like this.”

Declan is no stranger to accolades. Back in 2010, his Irish Film Board-backed short about homelessness made waves at festivals around the world, including qualifying for the Oscars after winning the prestigious Aspen Film Festival. This year, he revisited the theme of homelessness with Displaced, a social drama funded by Coimisiún na Meán.

But this wasn’t just another film—it was a bold experiment. “I cast the entire project through TikTok,” explained Declan “I put out a call, and the response was unbelievable—over 5,000 emails from actors and crew, some experienced and others completely new to filmmaking. It was tough narrowing it down, but in the end, we had a team that was a fantastic mix of seasoned pros and first-timers.”

The experiment paid off and Displaced has been on a winning streak, bagging awards at major festivals like the Cap Spartel International Film Festival in Morocco, the Polish International Film Festival, Palermo International Film Festival, Niagara Falls Film Festival, and the Berlin Kiez Film Festival, where Declan also won Best Director.

But Declan’s achievements go beyond the screen. This year, the non-profit organisation that he founded and runs, EurAV European Audio Visual CLG, opened its doors on Fair Street in Drogheda. And just recently, EurAV was honoured by Media Literacy Ireland with one of only five national awards, recognising their social work in media literacy, at a ceremony in Virgin Media Studios.

“The thing that all of the awards have in common is that they come about as a result of at team effort,” said Declan. “The same goes for EurAV—our Media Literacy Award reflects the dedication of a fantastic team working to create something positive in challenging times. Recognition like this is more than just something to put on the shelf. It’s a sign that we’re on the right track.”

Declan’s calendar is already filling up for 2025. He’s currently editing a six part television series, ‘The Climate Challenge’, that was filmed with transition year students of St Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda and plans are at an advanced stage to launch an online community TV channel for the region.