About Moongale Productions, Inc.
Moongale Productions was formed in 1996 with the intention of producing documentary films with social merit. Special emphasis is placed on women's issues and the concerns of those whose voices are not often heard in media.
Mending Spirits is our first long-term documentary project, encompassing nearly a decade of research, production and post-production efforts. It is an uplifting feature documentary film about the healing process of women who leave abusive relationships.
Mending Spirits and Echoes of Change — a short film on the same subject — were released in DVD in 2005.
Currently in production is a film about the universality of the child spirit, explored when two groups of children, who are culturally and economically different, communicate for an entire school year through letters, video images and shared artwork? What common ground do they share? Do they have some of the same hopes, dreams and concerns for themselves and the world they live in? Will this experience transform them?
About the Director
Mending Spirits, a documentary film about the emotional, spiritual and psychological journeys of women who leave abusive relationships is Monica Plunkett’s first effort at filmmaking and she reached this destination on an unlikely journey of her own.
She began first with a career in healthcare. Working as a therapist in nursing homes and a rehabilitation hospital. A 1987 bicycle trip through China prompted her to make a sharp career change to international education, a career she continues today at a university.
Often frustrating her parents with constantly changing interests, Plunkett, grew up in Youngstown, Ohio and now resides in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Her high school English teacher who offered a semester studying the films of Ingmar Bergman first introduced her to film as an art form. “This completely changed the way I experienced films,” said Plunkett.
In the early 90s Plunkett became involved in a relationship that became mentally and verbally abusive and finally at the point of departure, became physically abusive. “After leaving it was very difficult to put the experience in to perspective and there was a recovery period that no one, with the exception of women who had experienced abuse seemed to understand,” said Plunkett and I wanted to change that.
A still photography buff, but with no formal training in filmmaking, Monica set out to make Mending Spirits. Through networking and on a sharp learning curve herself, she completed the film.
The film evokes important themes in her own life. The symbolic use of nature figures prominently in the film, as does the inclusion of women from other cultures. Poetry, including a poem from her favorite poet, Emily Dickinson and artwork serve as transitions.
“Art, nature and culture are reoccurring touchstones for me,” said Plunkett.
Though coming late to filmmaking, she believes that her previous work experiences enhance her ability to understand others.
