Sean Mannion

Brooklyn Based Filmmaker

Sean Mannion has been producing films, videos, and podcasts since 2008. His work has screened at The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, The Big Apple Film Festival, Cucalorus, IndieWorks, The New York Television Festival, Channel 101 NY, The Long Island International Film Expo, IndieBoom!, The Ax Wound Film Festival, The DUMBO Film Festival, The Underground Film Festival, The Brooklyn Short Film Festival, The New Filmmaker’s New York Series, ZedFest, and more. Since 2016 he has collaborated with fellow filmmaker Nicole Solomon under the production company name 4MileCircus. In addition to his film, video, and podcast work, Sean is a media educator who has taught media making skills in a wide variety of contexts working with BRIC Arts Media, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, The NYC Center for Media Education, New York Film Academy, The Patton Veterans’ Project, the School of Visual Arts and more.

Select Film and Video Projects

Meme is the first feature film from Sean Mannion. It is available to watch now through AppleTV, Vimeo, and more.

Meme won “Best Narrative Feature” at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival.

Synopsis: Jennifer, an independent designer disappointed in her stalled relationship and career, discovers a surreal mashup videotape, labeled “Meme,” among a friend’s VHS collection. She goes in search of Meme’s creator, tracking down people who appear on the tape to gain greater insight into what it is and why it exists. As she pursues the creator of the tape she takes greater control of other aspects of her life including her relationship, difficult clients, and a drinking problem that increasingly interferes with her life.

“Walk of Shame” is a music video directed by Sean Mannion for the band Late Cambrian. The song was used for the opening titles of Meme and footage from the film appears in the video. The video is available on the Late Cambrian YouTube page.

Late Cambrian is: John Wlaysewski, Olive Hui, Matthew Milligan, Ben Weiss, Eric Zeender Future Snacks is out now on all streaming platforms. https://www.instagram.com/latecambrian/

“Beneath the Black Moon” is a horror comedy short written & directed by Sean Mannion as a ‘film-within-a-film’ for his feature film Meme. The full version of Beneath the Black Moon is available on YouTube.

Synopsis: The best parts of VHS horror film Beneath the Black Moon recorded from one bad VHS tape onto another bad VHS tape.

“Reveal” is an animated horror comedy short film written by Nicole Solomon and Co-Directed by Sean Mannion and Nicole Solomon. Reveal is screening at festivals in 2023 and available via the 4MileCircus Patron.

Synopsis: A pregnant woman senses something is amiss when her sister throws her an unwanted baby shower.

“Rubbery Ducky” is a short film written & directed by Sean Mannion. It is available on YouTube.

Synopsis: Tara finds a rubber duck on the street after a fight with Rory.

“It’s Normal” is a horror short written by Sean Mannion and directed by Nicole Solomon. “It’s Normal” is available on Vimeo.

Synopsis: A young woman checks in on a friend from her grief support group and learns that her changing world may be even scarier than it appears on the surface.

“Time Signature” is a short sci fi film crowdfunded and shot in 2014. It is available on Vimeo.

Synopsis: Danielle befriends her favorite guitarist, Astra, backstage at a concert. The two women head out on an impromptu road trip and Astra reveals that she’s a time-traveler who has come back to change Danielle’s future.

“Abel and Cain” is a surreal short film crowdfunded and produced in 2012.

Synopsis: Danielle befriends her favorite guitarist, Astra, backstage at a concert. The two women head out on an impromptu road trip and Astra reveals that she’s a time-traveler who has come back to change Danielle’s future.

For more film and video projects see 4MileCircus.com

Blog Posts

  • Making Living (2009)

    It was July of 2009 (maybe June?). I’d been in New York City less than a year, having gotten briefly acquainted with the city beginning in late 2008 before starting my Screenwriting Conservatory program at the New York Film Academy in January of 2009. It was hot. Not ridiculously so, not yet, but a much…

  • Abel and Cain Screenings

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxEMCwSWRw4 June was a very busy month. I went back to Alaska for the first time in 4 years to celebrate turning 30 with my two best friends; I had a temporary gig with a lot of long hours; I was an instructor at the I Was There Film Workshop at George Washington University; and…

  • I Was There Film Workshop

    Under My Umbrella from the June 2013 I Was There Film Workshop In June I had the privilege of being an instructor for the Patton Veterans Project’s I Was There Film Workshop being held at George Washington University in Washington, DC. At the workshop we helped a group of 15 veterans to conceive, shoot, and…

  • PS XO: Glossolalia (Music Video)

    PS XO “Glossolalia” This took quite a lot of time to get together. It started in February of 2011. I had a bunch of equipment I was borrowing for another shoot and I was talking to Valerie Opielski, a member of the band and kinda sorta my landlady. I had heard some of PS XO’s music,…

  • New Short (and a Screening): The Box

    The Box was the product of a challenge issued to me by fellow filmmaker Jeremy Berger. He suggested I should try to make a new short that was shot in one day, edited the following day, and posted online by day three. So, I decided to shoot a very simple story about a young woman…

  • New Web Series: New York Filmmakers

    Today I launched the first two episodes of a new web series entitled New York Filmmakers. The series features interviews with New York-based filmmakers of various backgrounds and levels. We talk about them, their work, and New York. Many more coming soon but check out these episodes featuring animator and filmmaker Ed Mundy and writer/director…

  • Abel and Cain

    I spent much of 2012 working on a new short film project, Abel and Cain. After spending 2010 primarily working on editing Modern Prometheus and 2011 trying to work on other people’s projects, as well as a few quick pieces of my own, I decided that I needed to try to produce something new and…

  • Modern Prometheus on OpenFilm.com

    I’ve chosen to publish my short film Modern Prometheus on OpenFilm. Please, enjoy the film and, perhaps, when you’re done suggest it for distribution on Boxee, TiVo, HCC TV, and/or Miniweb. It’s easy, just follow those links, click the “Suggest a film” button and enter: http://www.openfilm.com/videos/modern-prometheus into the URL. Also, please feel free to visit the…

  • New Short: Lower East Side, Manhattan

    Lower East Side, Manhattan is a short I put together last week after coming across this footage that I shot in the Lower East Side. I’ve had it lying around for about a year now. I originally shot it for a project Audacia Ray was working on and kept a copy for myself for future…

  • Catastrophe a 2010 StoryPros Awards Finalist

    I am pleased to share that my feature screenplay Catastrophe made it to the Finalist round of the 3rd Annual StoryPros Awards Screenplay Contest. Catastrophe‘s logline is: “In a world of superheroes and supervillains an unsuccessful disaster insurance salesman becomes a supervillain to save his job.” I started writing Catastrophe just over a year ago…