HOWSAVLA GWAV

When the sun stands still, all roads lead to Montol

Every year we come together, on the same night,
from town and country and the edgelands in between,
from Gurnards Head, up over Watch Croft, down the Chyandour Brook to the Bay,
from the Red River, weaving through the stones, across Carn Brae and out to the Cape,
and we dance through the streets of Penzance,
eyes blazing in the firelight with the rain on our faces,
and the wind in our hair.
Montol Festival

Project Summary

HOWLSAVLA GWAV
(Short Film, 2025)

Director: Ryan Mackfall and Joe Gray. Writer: Joe Gray. Original Soundtrack: Daisy Rickman.
Producers: Kingsley Marshall, Joe Gray & Ryan Mackfall
Cast: Darcy Vanhinsbergh (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil), with Morgan Val Baker (Bait), Daisy Rickman, Richard Ballinger (Bronco’s House), and the Guilds of Montol.

Synopsis
A wanderer, lost within the landscape of West Penwith through misadventure, blunders across mythical realms and is drawn into the Winter Solstice celebration of Montol - the long-held tradition of marking the year's turning at the earth's edge. For one night, he blurs the lines of reality and folklore, joining with the Guilds, dancing with beasts, enacting the rituals and customs of distant ancestors to call back the sun.