Filmmaker Pat Collins and cartographer and author Tim Robinson might well be viewed as kindred souls, of sorts; both artists are truly unique in their respective fields, sharing as they do a profound, lyrical, and heartfelt connection to the Irish landscape, its mythical properties, and the innumerable stories it has to tell us.

Their joint sensibilities inform Collins’ documentary portrait, inspired by Robinson’s acclaimed trilogy of books exploring the wilds of his beloved Connemara, and described by the filmmaker himself as “an intersection between writing, filmmaking, and the natural world.” Complementing it perfectly is an earlier experimental short piece, Pilgrim, a stunning non-narrative tone poem capturing the annual ascent of Croagh Patrick by hundreds of Catholic pilgrims – a journey that traditionally begins each year in darkness.

Together, they make for a deeply immersive viewing experience, one that pinpoints Collins as a choice Irish torchbearer for the global Slow Cinema movement.

This film is screening as part of the IFI’s season, Poetic Truths: The Cinema of Pat Collins (August 4th – 21st).