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Talking to the Air: The Horses of the Last Forbidden Kingdom

Los Angeles, California | Film Feature

Adventure, Documentary

Sophie Dia Pegrum

2 Campaigns | California, United States

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This campaign raised $8,195 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

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On a tenuous China border, the remote and fragile medieval culture of Mustang is where wealth is measured in horses and riding is as elemental as breathing. The thrilling races of the Yartung Festival are the ardent expression of man’s ancient and enduring relationship with the horse.

About The Project

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  • The Story
  • Wishlist
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The Story

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SOPHIE PEGRUM - DIRECTOR

 

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On a filmmaking journey in 2011 I was drawn to a beautiful book of watercolors in a Kathmandu bookshop.  "EARTH DOOR SKY DOOR" was a book of sublime paintings of Mustang by Robert Powell and launched me into an incredible journey of learning and research about this remote and ancient Kingdom, about which I knew nothing. Over the next couple of years I was lucky to attract a great team to help produce the film and eventually, after a very challenging journey, was allowed very privileged access into this stunning and sensitive region.  Despite the short time we could shoot, we came back with powerfulfilm which takes a very different look into a culture on the verge of change. The film was crafted with great effort and the generosity of many, and I want to make sure that it is finished and polished to the level which I believe it deserves.  It is key that we use the film as a tool to raise awareness for this fragile place to promote careful conservation, and importantly, pride for this often overlooked cultural treasure. Humankind owes the equine an immeasurable debt, and this film is made in part, to honor their immense contribution to our lives and culture.

JEN MILLER - PRODUCER

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Talking To The Air is a critically-important piece of film history, beautifully documenting what is perhaps the last glimpse into a vanishing horse culture. I feel the story is a reflection of the world at large and the issues we all face in delicately facing the future, whether we are on the mountaintop in Nepal or at home in the cities and towns of everywhere.

I spent years working in the Native American culture and know intimately the tragic tale of the loss of their horse culture. Naturally no film exists of this powerful past— it is utterly lost to us and relegated to the still image. A great similarity can be drawn between the horse culture of the Plains and the horse culture of Mustang and my heart sings to know Talking To The Air will stand as a watershed document of this fading horse society for future generations.

Having not physically taken the journey to Nepal myself, Talking To The Air has taken me there filmically-- the unspooling moving image taking me on a spiritual and intellectual voyage I know it will take all viewers on. This after all is the goal of any documentary-- to reach into our souls and transport us somewhere we didn’t know existed in the world nor in ourselves.

MIRANDA MORTON YAP - PRODUCER
 
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I have known and worked with Sophie for many years and when she approached me about shooting in Mustang, I jumped at the opportunity to experience the forbidden kingdom. Exploring Mustang through the culture of the horse community, we got an insight into a heritage that goes back centuries. It is a culture that is shifting with modern times bringing progress and much change. To have the opportunity to document the lifestyle and community at this time has been a privilege.  I feel very honored to be a part of this project and to have been able to work in such a spellbinding and visually stunning place with such a great team of filmmakers.  I look forward to bringing this film back to Nepal, where I think it will become an invaluable tool in bringing attention to a society that hangs in such a delicate balance.     

THE MISSION OF THE HORSEFLY FILMS RARE EQUINE TRUST

The Horsefly Films Rare Equine Trust  is a cinematic library dedicated to exploring diverse cultures, rare equine breeds and unique stories centered around the horse.  

Using film as a tool to engage new audiences, the film series captures the beauty, history and fragile position of equines and vanishing equestrian cultures and establishes a necessary and compelling film folio for equine enthusiasts, cultural historians and general audiences.

The Trust's films are being used to rally awareness, build cultural bridges and connect societies with their unique and often endangered equine and ritual heritage.

Our fervent hope is this ongoing film library will contribute to an epic cinematic record that can help transmute these fragile and threatened horse cultures into national treasures to be cherished by local communities and venerated by those of us further afield.

Despite modern technology making horses obsolete for many, the debt to history remains. From the sword to the plowshare, horses are an integral part of who we are, of who we became, and it is our duty to preserve that bond.

Using the equine as a central focus on humankind's saga brings into sharp focus our agrarian and warlike histories, our spiritual connections and the ongoing battle to preserve our unique heritage in the face of rapid globalization.

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Colorist

Costs $1,500

Watching an ungraded film would be like watching "2001" through a dusty coke bottle.

Sound Designer

Costs $1,750

Listening to a film with a less than sublime sound is like sawing at your ears with a rusty blade.

DCP Creation

Costs $150

Films need audiences & theaters need DCPs to show films. No DCP, no audience.

Festival Fees

Costs $250

Festivals and audiences are a vital start to documentary outreach and social impact.

Composer

Costs $2,500

Music+film are the perfect artistic marriage. We want to pay our Composer for his music genius.

Voice Over Actress

Costs $1,000

The skill of a professional narrator will keep our audience engaged and transfixed.

Archival Footage and Photographs - Licenses

Costs $850

Footage of the Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet, from News Reels & Digital Himalaya have costs attached.

About This Team

SOPHIE DIA PEGRUM - DIRECTOR & CAMERA "TALKING TO THE AIR"
Sophie is a director and filmmaker who has produced and shot films in the Antarctic, at the North Pole and in the Himalayas. Her films include "77 Below" a documentary she shot in Antarctica featuring artist Lita Albuquerque and "Daughters of the Curved Moon" a film about the women of Jumla, Nepal.  She is currently working on a film shot on the Tibetan border entitled "Talking to the Air: Horses of the Last Forbidden Kingdom" for the Rare Equine Trust. 
Her debut feature film "Dogstar" was a narrative she wrote and directed with an AFI grad and a group of renegade filmmakers and was a crash course in all aspects of cinema. Critics praised the film “Dogstar” saying “There is a lilting grace to this low-budget indie". "Director Sophie Pegrum has a good eye for sensuous detail” and “This well-crafted, winsome fairy tale by writer-director Sophie Pegrum has an otherworldly quality reminiscent of Australian director Jane Campion.  Definitely a new voice in danger of slipping beneath everyone's radar. “
Sophie co-owns a niche film production company, Horsefly Films, that focuses on equestrian subject matter. Along with her Horsefly films partner Jen Miller, she produced a critically acclaimed documentary “Path to Glory” about the history of Polish Arabian Horses and their enduring influence in the United States and around the world.  Recently they established their “Rare Equine Trust” releasing the first film in the series, "Of Gods and Kings".  They are shooting a series of films about critically endangered breeds of horses around the world and the unique cultures around them. Together they also produce promotional films, training videos, national commercials and documentaries.  
Sophie is also a painter, and shoots the film footage for Horsefly Films and the Rare Equine Trust.  
 
JEN MILLER - PRODUCER "TALKING TO THE AIR"
Jen is a filmmaker whose career has taken her from Hollywood blockbusters to independent cinema. Cutting her teeth on "Forrest Gump",  Jen’s subsequent inauguration in the film business was producing a feature film for MGM, on which she also served as Music Supervisor and Creative Director for the publicity campaign, overseeing key art one-sheet and trailer production.  She was nominated for a Key Art Award as Copywriter and Creative Director for her efforts. 
Over the next several years, Jen directed and produced music videos for MTV through her own production company.  As a music supervisor she put together the soundtracks for several feature films for Miramax and MGM films and also free-lanced as a music supervisor, producing music for films, commercials, trailers and TV series. As a screenwriter, her screenplays have won honors in the Sundance writing program and have been optioned and produced by companies such as Columbia Tristar and Stormworks entertainment.
Jen's first novel “Billy Bones” was a semifinalist in the 2011 Amazon Next Great Novel contest in which publishers proclaimed " This is great stuff!  ... Whatever the nature of the story unfolding, I am willing to follow".
Jen co-founded Horsefly Films with filmmaker Sophie Pegrum. Together they produced the critically- acclaimed documentary “Path to Glory” and now the ongoing series of RARE films under their Rare Equine Trust banner.
 
MIRANDA MORTON YAP - FIELD PRODUCER "TALKING TO THE AIR"
Miranda has worked as a facilitator, coordinator, producer and organiser in the creative arts for over a decade. Many hats have been worn for multiple projects ranging from commercials and short films, stage productions, as well as booking bands on tours and producing fundraising charity events.
In recent years, she has spent time exploring the globe. The inspiration she found on those journeys sparked a desire to share the stories of the vibrant people and colourful places she encountered. Combining her professional experience with her interest in people and culture has culminated in her venture into documentary filmmaking and the establishment of Shakti Pictures.
 
DIPENDRA BHANDARI - PRODUCER & CAMERA "TALKING TO THE AIR"
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Dipendra Bhandari is Executive Producer at Adventure Nepal Productions in Kathmandu, a film production company with a focus on documentary material.   Previously a producer at Kantipur Television, Dipendra Bhandari wrote and directed the 2011 award-winning documentary “Journey to Yarsa”.  An audience favorite at Kathmandu International Film Festival,  “Journey to Yarsa” is about the caravan of hunters who trek into the treacherous high Himal in search of the elusive yarsagumba, a fungus-larvae prized in East Asia for its medicinal properties.  Dipendra followed the family of Punimaya of Rolpa up into the flanks of the Himalaya to capture the struggle, hope, laughter, romance and resilience in the lives of the hill people who go to dig for survival. 
 

 

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