Stone Pastures Finland / Ireland / UK
2008, 65min.
Prod.: Martha O’Neill, Jouko Aaltonen, Beverley Cook, Dir.: Donagh Coleman, Dir. of Phot.: Donagh Coleman, Johannes Lehmuskallio, Timo Peltonen, Sound: Kimmo Vänttinen, Pertti Venetjoki, Douglas Murray, Edit.: Breege Rowley.
Stone Pastures tells the story of a nomadic family living on the Himalayan plateau of Ladakh. In this high altitude cold desert, the nomads’ way of life is fast disappearing as the modern world encroaches on the century old tradition of rearing Pashmina goats. This struggle contains a paradox: Ladakh’s gritty, rocky conditions gave rise to the finest of materials, pashmina wool. Produced by the nomads’ goats as a warm undercoat, this is the raw material for luxurious Kashmiri shawls, and the only source of income for the poor nomads. This film follows the life of these extraordinary people over the course of nine months.
Production company
Illume Ltd
| Coleman, Donagh Donagh Coleman (born 1975, Philadelphia, USA)
Grew up mainly in Finland, with long periods in Ireland and the US (he is a citizen of these three countries). In his school years Coleman showed a keen interest in the arts, studying classical guitar, painting and drawing. He made his first video films in the municipal school of art of JyvՊskylՊ, Finland. In 1996 Coleman travelled to India. This was the first of several trips where he studied Tibetan Buddhism and culture, spending months in North Indian Tibetan refugee communities. Returning from India, Donagh entered Trinity College Dublin to study philosophy and psychology. Taking a B.A. he continued with Trinity College’s esteemed Masters course in music and media technology. Here he composed electro-acoustic music, worked in sound-design for film, and made several short films before directing the documentary Echoes of as part of his masters thesis. International co-production Stone Pastures is his latest documentary film. Coleman has also been a presenter on Finnish National Television, he has illustrated a best-selling book on inventions by a major Finnish publishing house (Helsinki Media), as well as publishing a book on Irish humour (Gummerus). In 2004 Coleman worked as a cameraman and sound engineer with the Finnish and Nordic film orchestras. Of late he has written magazine articles concerning North Indian culture (featuring his own photography), taught video production in JyvՊskylՊ’s JAIKO communications degree, and translated a digital video handbook. Coleman also writes and produces music. Currently based in Dublin, he continues to divide his time between Ireland, Finland, India and China.
Filmography
Echoes of (2002), Stone Pastures (2008).
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