ENGINE Shorts Awards €75,000 to Six Filmmaking Teams Across the Mid-West in Third Edition of Groundbreaking Scheme

ENGINE Shorts Awards €75,000 to Six Filmmaking Teams Across the Mid-West in Third Edition of Groundbreaking Scheme

ENGINE Shorts, the dynamic short film training and production scheme for emerging film talent in the Mid-West, awards six winning teams commissions for its third edition

Run by Innovate Limerick, through Film in Limerick, in partnership with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, the Local Authorities in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary, and the three Local Enterprise Offices in the Mid-West, the scheme provides €12,500 in production funding for each team. It also offers industry training and mentoring.

From a pool of nearly 100 applicants, six teams were commissioned following a competitive pitch process judged by film industry experts: Charlene Lydon (producer and programmer), Gillian Cooper (Head of Distribution at WildCard Distribution), and acclaimed script and story editor Kate Leys. Two standout projects from each of Clare, Tipperary, and Limerick, were selected, ensuring strong regional representation.

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Production of the six films is taking place over the coming months across the Mid-West. The films will be completed before the end of the year and then submitted to national and international film festivals.

Commenting on the winning projects, Regional Film Manager, Paul C Ryan, said, “Engine Shorts continues to unlock incredible creative potential across the Mid-West. Each edition strengthens the region’s reputation as a centre of excellence for filmmaking, and we’re proud to support the next generation of Irish storytellers. The collaboration between local authorities, education partners, enterprise offices and filmmakers is at the core of this scheme. We’re seeing real careers begin here, and the projects represent a new wave of bold, creative storytelling rooted in the region and reflecting a diversity of voices, genres and themes.”

In Limerick, writer Charlotte Wall, producer Gill McNamara & director Darragh O’Flanagan will produce their short drama Drowning, which tells the story of a lifeguard who becomes a casualty in a rescue gone wrong. She must face her PTSD to save a life and redeem herself in her own eyes.

Writer Charlotte Wall said, “Drowning is a deeply emotional film that is ultimately about hope. The hope that we can find the strength to overcome our deepest struggles. To make this film with a cast and crew that feel just as passionately about it as I do is a dream come true.”

 Also in Limerick writer Shane Vaughan, producer, Jamie Hooper and director Meghan O’Shaughnessy will film their short Moloch in Limerick. Moloch is the story of Malachy Lambert, artist and academic, who suffers a psychotic break on the opening night of his new exhibition as a rumour of inappropriate behaviour with students takes on a life of its own.

Director Meghan O’Shaughnessy said, “Moloch is a psychological horror that dives into paranoia & rumour – set in Limerick City, we can’t wait to bring something visually striking and emotionally intense to the screen.”

In Tipperary writer Caroline Brady, producer Paulina Kiewesz and director, Patrick Fogarty team up in Tipperary to film their short film – First Bloom, the story of a single forty-something country woman, who has her heart set on her neighbouring farmer, but after years of a one-sided courtship, she discovers her love interest has been keeping secrets all along.

Also in Tipperary writer Tzarini Meyler, producer Jayne Foley and director Alanna MacNamee will film their short drama, Reborning in Tipperary. Reborning is the story of two women, two prams,and one suspicious transaction in a children’s playground. Susie and Tina are from opposite ends of town. But they share an unspoken addiction. As their obsession grows, this unlikely pair must confront the fine line between healing and losing themselves entirely.

In Clare writer / producer Maeve Stone, and director Alex Gill will film their short Nightshift in Clare. Nightshift is the story of Maria, a Filipino nurse, who is searching for her absent Irish born daughter Jasmine. Things come to a head as their radically different childhoods cause resentment and misunderstanding resulting in a car journey from hell.

And in Clare Writer / director Oisín McKeogh and producer Gráinne McCormack team up to produce Call Me Anon, the story of a young gay man, returning to his rural hometown,  desperate for connection, who seeks solace in an online hookup – only to be drawn into an unsettling encounter that forces him to confront his past.

Filming of the Engine Short Films is now underway with the completed films expected to play at film festivals internationally in 2026.