Image courtesy of Pom: Le Poulain from Ring Productions
Hollywood will bark, purr, moo and chirp next month, when the Genesis Awards are presented, but will it whinny? The brain child of the Humane Society of the United States, the Genesis Awards are given to print and electronic media releases that provide outstanding coverage of the humane treatment of animals.
The nominees were announced on Thursday. It was a bumper year for animal films, but horses were not highly represented. This is one event where Barbaro won’t be feted. The stories and films that were nominated are an interesting assortment. Among them was a news report from KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas, for a documentary on what it is like to live in the neighborhood of a horse slaughter plant.
In print, one of my favorite articles was recognized. Vanity Fair published “Galloping Scared” by Kurt Brungardt; the feature was nominated “For a thorough examination of the history and plight of America’s wild mustangs, victims of cattle ranching interests.”
The good news about Brungardt’s piece: you can read it online.
The article is more about politics than it is about horses, but if you don’t know who Wild Horse Annie was or why she mattered, maybe you’d better take a few minutes and read this article. But, as always, make up your own mind! It is also very nicely crafted, for all you fans of outstanding horse-related journalism.
Finally, in the foreign language film division is a French movie that I had never heard of until Thursday but I am already a devotee; POM: LE POULAIN from Ring Productions was nominated “For a moving portrayal of the bond between a draft horse and her young colt and the stable hand who struggles to keep them together.”
The film clips on the web site are extraordinary. When was the last time you saw an orphaned Ardennes (what we call loosely “Belgian”) draft horse foal in a starring role? The web site is in French but you’ll get the idea. The French really seem to have a corner on the horse-art theater/film market with Cavalia, the Versailles Palace productions, the Camargue roman riding video, and now this film in which the star bottle-raises an orphaned foal that probably weighs more than he does! Bring your tissues if it ever opens in the USA, which I hope it will.
The 21st Annual Genesis Awards will be a star-studded event held on Saturday evening, March 24, 2007 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Tickets can be ordered at the web site. I hope the colt wins!
