WATCH TRAILER: Laois movie makers to premiere new short film at local festival

A Portarlington film crew are about to premiere their latest short film, made for almost no money and starring an extraordinary Laois raven.

The Bog Monster, by Station Road Pictures will premiere at the 2026 OFFline Film Festival in Birr, taking place from October 7 to 11.

Its plot revolves around a man who lives in isolation, his life spent digging holes and searching the bog. Habit, ritual and repetition rule his days, until one morning his shovel strikes something beneath the soil and the world above begins to fracture.

Station Road is an independent Irish film company formed by a collective of creatives who make their original movies in their spare time.

Ali Heavey Doyle from the company told the Leinster Express “what makes the story particularly special to us is that The Bog Monster was made entirely independently, with zero funding and essentially no production budget”.

The film was shot on a very old house and surrounding bogland in County Laois, with the location kindly provided by a family friend. The filmmakers brought together their own equipment, costumes were sourced from homes and charity shops, and the cast and crew largely came from the collective itself.

The film was written by Ryan Hoey, directed and produced by Calvin Doyle and shot by Conor English. Eimear Hannon Hoey also worked on costume design, while Andrea Cullen provided the piano performance.

And, in what might be one of the more unusual parts of the production, the film features Dave the Raven, a professional bird from Raven Haven Aviary, who was brought in specifically for the role.

Raven Haven from Clonaslee also famously supplied the ravens for The Vikings television show, and their birds are a regular attraction at community festivals.

The wider Station Road Pictures collective includes Conor English, Calvin Doyle, Ryan Hoey and Ali Heavey Doyle, alongside a wider group of creatives, actors and performers who come together depending on the project.

“Although everyone has their own careers and commitments, filmmaking has become something we work on in our spare time, on the evenings, weekends, lunch breaks and far too many conversations in our group chat. We share ideas, teach ourselves new skills, watch films and read, and constantly push each other to make the next project.

“The collective has its roots in Portarlington and many of our ideas and meet-ups happen here, which is also where the name Station Road Pictures comes from. Station Road is a familiar part of the town for us, and it felt like the right name for a group whose work has always grown out of this area.”

The Bog Monster isn't their first film, either.

The group has been making independent shorts since around 2015, previously under the name Holy God, with previous work appearing at film festivals including the Kerry Film Festival, Indie Cork Film Festival, Dingle Film Festival and many more.

The first feature length movie coming from Station Road Pictures is Outer Heavens which has been creating a stir internationally with some very exciting updates to come.

The crew will all be attending OFFline Film Festival in October. Follow Station Road Pictures for more exciting updates and to support local independent cinema. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stationroadpictures... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/191eoxKc3H/