T.J. Collins(I)
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Mr. Collins is an award-winning filmmaker with a distinguished career spanning over a dozen
produced films, including both short and feature-length narratives. His debut feature narrative,
Willets Point, won the Audience Award at the Long Island International Film Expo and received
a theatrical release with positive reviews from The New York Times.
A respected industry professional, Mr. Collins has served as a peer judge for the New York
Emmy Awards and is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, New
York Chapter. He was selected as a Fellow for the 2009 NALIP Producers Academy and
Screenwriters Lab. His screenplay The Driven (also known as Eli Moran) was one of ten
nationally selected projects for the NALIP Screenwriters Lab, supported by The Walt Disney
Company, NBC Universal, FOX, and HBO. Mr. Collins wrote, directed, and produced the
feature-length narrative sports drama The Driven, which stars veteran actor David Zayas (Dexter,
The Expendables). The film premiered at the 25th Dances With Films Festival - NYC edition in 2022.
Since 2016, Mr. Collins has worked as a Producer and Co-Writer on the feature documentary A Rising Fury, which chronicles the origins of Russia's invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2014. The film follows key figures over nearly a decade, from the Revolution of Dignity to the frontlines in Ukraine's eastern region and the full-scale invasion in 2022. Blending personal narratives with historical context, A Rising Fury offers a gripping account of love, revolution, betrayal, and war through intimate verité storytelling. The documentary premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and has been showcased at numerous international festivals. Critically acclaimed, A Rising Fury received a perfect 5-star rating from Film Threat, calling it "a masterclass of documentary filmmaking... brilliant on every level. One of the best films of the year." FILM INK awarded it 4.5 stars, describing it as "a wake-up call... a powerful statement on what the Ukrainians are fighting for." Filmmaker Magazine praised it as "a breathtakingly cinematic explainer of current events." The film was nominated for Best Documentary and other top honors at nine international film festivals, including Stockholm IFF (Bronze Horse nominee), Warsaw IFF (Best Documentary nominee), Odesa IFF (Golden Duke nominee), and Cleveland IFF (Greg Gund Standing Up Award nominee). It won three major awards at the 2023 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, including the Supreme Jury Award. Additionally, A Rising Fury has been longlisted for Best Feature Documentary at the 96th Academy Awards.
Since 2016, Mr. Collins has worked as a Producer and Co-Writer on the feature documentary A Rising Fury, which chronicles the origins of Russia's invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2014. The film follows key figures over nearly a decade, from the Revolution of Dignity to the frontlines in Ukraine's eastern region and the full-scale invasion in 2022. Blending personal narratives with historical context, A Rising Fury offers a gripping account of love, revolution, betrayal, and war through intimate verité storytelling. The documentary premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and has been showcased at numerous international festivals. Critically acclaimed, A Rising Fury received a perfect 5-star rating from Film Threat, calling it "a masterclass of documentary filmmaking... brilliant on every level. One of the best films of the year." FILM INK awarded it 4.5 stars, describing it as "a wake-up call... a powerful statement on what the Ukrainians are fighting for." Filmmaker Magazine praised it as "a breathtakingly cinematic explainer of current events." The film was nominated for Best Documentary and other top honors at nine international film festivals, including Stockholm IFF (Bronze Horse nominee), Warsaw IFF (Best Documentary nominee), Odesa IFF (Golden Duke nominee), and Cleveland IFF (Greg Gund Standing Up Award nominee). It won three major awards at the 2023 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, including the Supreme Jury Award. Additionally, A Rising Fury has been longlisted for Best Feature Documentary at the 96th Academy Awards.
