'A big champion of short films'

A Monaghan director is still on cloud nine this week after her short film, shot around Castleblayney, took one of the top awards at the 2026 Dublin International Film Festival.

“This is a big champion of short films,” said local woman Táine King who directed ‘Molly and The Robot’. The non-verbal film took this year’s Audience Award at the prestigious film festival.

It’s the second of Ms King’s short films, after ‘The Wilde Sisters’, to be set in Monaghan - an area she feels isn’t widely represented in the film industry.

Small counties, like Monaghan, are often overlooked and rarely seen. “When you do go to film festivals, you see a lot of Kerry, Connemara, Donegal and Wicklow,” she said. “It’s much easier to make films around Dublin because all the crew live there. But it’s just important for me, being from Monaghan, being able to show the beautiful landscapes that are here in Monaghan and what we have here.”

Shot in the countryside outside Castleblayney, Molly and The Robot showcases the stunning landscapes surrounding Lough Muckno and Church Hill, Tullyharnet. The film was produced by crew from all over Ireland, who worked hand in hand with Monaghan locals.

“To make a film on a hill in Monaghan and then have it connect with audiences at the Dublin International Film Festival is very special. This award belongs to the entire cast and crew who put their hearts into the project and to the community that supported it.”

Molly and The Robot is a sci-fi tale about grief, connection and survival in a post-apocalyptic, ruined Ireland. The story follows the journey of a young farmer, who discovers a deactivated war robot on her ancestral land. As she revives the robot, an unexpected affiliation blooms between them.

Another unique element of the film is its use of non-verbal storytelling. Táine talks about how Jade Jordan, the actress who played Molly, was drawn to the challenge of the film being non-verbal. “Having to use her expressions, the silences and subtle movements, to convey what her character was feeling was a key requirement of the role,” explained the director.

A distinctive element of this film was the development of the robot suit created for the character. It was built by the Monaghan-based engineering company CombiLift, whose pioneering designs and engineering skills brought this complex element to life.

Ms King also acknowledged that the support of Creative Monaghan and Monaghan County Council, who helped to make this project to life.

It was produced for a “fraction” of the €60,000 budget typically awarded to short films by Screen Ireland, which was not involved in this project.

The director spoke too about the contribution of the local community, and how the film crew were so well looked after while staying in Castleblayney. “Local businesses did special deals for us on the food and coffee. And everybody was so helpful.”

Ms King expressed her shock upon hearing the film had won the Audience Award for Best Short Film in Dublin saying her “mind was blown”.

She didn’t expect to win as she was competing against other films that had been created with larger budgets; while Molly and The Robot is an independent film, not funded by a third party. “The team had hustled pretty hard to get the money together to make the film, so to come out and win an Audience Award at one of the biggest film festivals in Europe is pretty amazing,” she said.

Following its success at the Dublin International Film Festival, Molly and The Robot will now continue its journey on the international festival circuit. Ms King, meanwhile, has just finished directing an art project and is currently working on a feature film, which will also be shot in Monaghan. She hopes to begin shooting this time next year and is looking forward to returning to the Farney county.

Watch this space!