Watch: Short Doc ‘Saoirse’ Profiling Horse Culture in Dublin, Ireland

“As you see now there’s nothin here any more.” Did you know there is a historic horse culture in Dublin, Ireland? This acclaimed short doc film Saoirse is about “some of the men who genuinely care about their horses as they struggle to keep the remnants of the culture alive.” Better description from Nowness: “Award-winning Irish director Marion Bergin [befriended] a community of Dublin’s working-class men to create a documentary about their equestrian cultural legacy and how horses have transformed their lives in a city undergoing gentrification.” The film makes a good companion with the horse feature Concrete Cowboy from TIFF this year. “Toxic masculinity is something the media has made synonymous with inner-city culture,” Bergin explains. So, “I chose to shine a different light on these men, to portray them as I saw them – normal people with warm hearts and the same concerns for their futures and families as the rest of us.” View below.

Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this. Description from Vimeo: “Dublin is a city in the midst of a property development boom and with the gentrification of the inner city, working-class horse culture is being marginalised. It’s something quite unique to the city and likely won’t exist in fifteen years. The media only ever shows a negative side of the culture as there have been many issues with welfare in the city since the mass over-breeding of the early nineties. This film takes a snapshot of some of the men who genuinely care about their horses as they struggle to keep the remnants of the culture alive.” Saoirse is produced & directed by Irish filmmaker / photographer Marion Bergin – view more of her work on Vimeo or visit her website. With cinematography by Narayan van Maele, original music + sound design by James D. Latimer. For more info on the short, head to Nowness or Vimeo. To discover more shorts, click here. Your thoughts?