A GREENLAND STORY
Feature Documentary
Director / Producer / Editor / Cameraman - Vincent Monahan
Director / Producer - Marieke Lexmond
Director of Photography - Menno Westendorp
A Greenland Story is an award-winning independent feature length documentary set along the West coast of Greenland in the Summer of 2019, this film reveals a country and people at a crossroads between tradition and modernity. Inspired by their unique culture and their connection with the natural world, we felt it was important to tell this story during a time of such drastic change to both their culture and climate.
With no roads connecting its coastal communities, a humble boat and its Irish crew move quietly in the background giving rare access to remote villages up into the Arctic Circle. In near 24-hour daylight, sailing by vast icebergs and sharing midnight encounters with humpback whales, we are invited into homes and communities along the way.
These heartfelt interactions reveal a generous and inviting people battling to hold onto a culture that forms their identity. A hunting society turned capitalist, local hunters no longer feed their communities. As the ice disappears around them, what future beckons? Perhaps one that offers an easier type of living, but one that brings its own difficulties.
This is a celebration of Greenland’s culture, a lament for a changing way of life and a yearning for a positive future for a culture facing such uncertain times
FOR THE LOVE OF HORSES
Short Documentary
Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor - Vincent Monahan
Currently on festival circuit
Set among the backdrop of rural Ireland’s ploughing championships, this heartfelt documentary captures an elderly farmer’s dedication to preserving the dying tradition of horse-powered farming.
A nostalgic nod to simpler times, ‘For the Love of Horses’ is a short documentary that intimately portrays an elderly Irish farmer’s dedication to a fading tradition. Coleman's dream is to construct a fully functional farm powered only by his two magnificent draft horses. Offering a broader commentary on Irish rural life, this is a story of tradition, passion, and the inexorable march of time.
KEEPERS OF THE CHANNEL LIGHTS
An experimental short-doc
Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor - Vincent Monahan
Currently on festival circuit
Nominated for the Consulate of Ireland Award at the Chicago Irish Film Festival 2024, Keepers of the Channel Lights is an experimental short-documentary that tells the story of the brave men from Coney Island who hand-lit the perches between the Port of Sligo and Rosses Point every day from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Each evening, three men, Young Dan, Old Dan & Pat McGowan, rowed out several kilometres in all weather conditions to fix their oil storm lanterns to the wooden perches before rowing home again. Crucially, this allowed safe passage for ships entering Sligo Port. With over 60 ships lost in Sligo Bay, the channel lights were equally a beacon of safety and a warning of the perilous danger for sea-farers in Sligo’s waters.
This imagery-rich film, set between Coney Island and Rosses Point Channel, uses experimental filming techniques to portray the island, and the men, as a memory in a liminal space between past and present. Transporting the audience to time gone by. The pace and dynamics of the film and its original score fluctuate so to represent the ever-changing sea state and conditions these men must have rowed through.
Keepers of the Channel Lights is an adaptation of ‘A Memory from Rosses Point’ by Willie Murphy, from the book The Tide is Coming by Maura Gilligan. This film was the result of the Creative Heartlands ‘Poetry into Film’ Bursary Award which Vincent received in 2023. Featuring an original score from Patrick Monahan and Costume Design by Sligo fashion designer Rebecca Marsden.
SANTIAGO
Short Documentary
Director / Editor - Vincent Monahan
Producer / Cinematographer - Paul Howley
Set in the beautiful lush highlands of Guatemala, this film chronicles Santiago’s experiences growing up in the streets of his rural hometown of Chivaretto. We explore his passion for Hogar Abierto, an open home for kids, and how he rose to become an inspiration to not only the kids that attend this very special program, but also to the volunteers that support it. Santiago is an independent film produced by a long-time volunteer of this project.
We were inspired by what Santiago has achieved personally as well as by his contribution to this remarkable grassroots organisation. Shot only on a smartphone with a one man crew, this short documentary gives us unprecedented access to the wonderful work being done at Hogar Abierto.
This film also aims to showcase how tourism can be a sustainable source of revenue to provide quality education, as well as a safe and happy childhood, to children that really need it.
Award winner at the Docs Without Borders Film Festival and the Global Impact Film Festival Washington
TIME - DROP THE SHADOWS
Music Video
SPOTIFY RELEASE AUG 2022
Director - Mike Walshe
Director of Photography - Vincent Monahan
As seen in Hot Press magazine, this music video was shot for Drop The Shadows up coming Spotify release, coming this August 2022. This video brought energy to match the fast paced tempo of ‘Time’ by combining and contrasting natural imagery with hip-hop freestyle dance, aerial silks and French mime. Concept and direction from Drop The Shadows lead singer Mike Walshe. Featuring internationally acclaimed Nigerian/Irish B-boy (Breakin’ / Breakdancer) and Hip-Hop Freestyle dancer Tobi Omoteso, aerial silks performer Rebecca Marsden and Michael McCabe, one of Ireland’s leading practitioners in physical theatre.