Set in a former mining village in Wales, against the backdrop of the current recession, DARK HORSE is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a working men’s club who decide to take on the elite ‘sport of kings’ and breed themselves a racehorse. Raised on a slagheap allotment, their foal grows into an unlikely champion, beating the finest thoroughbreds in the land, before suffering a near fatal accident. Nursed back to health by the love of his owners – for whom he’s become a source of inspiration and hope – he makes a remarkable recovery, returning to the track for a heart-stopping comeback.
Filming Locations: Cefn Forest
Set in: Cefn Forest
Producer: Paul Higgins
Gyda chefnogaeth: Ffilm Cymru Wales
Cast: Howard Davies, Brian ‘Daisy’ Vokes, Tony Kerby, Mauren Jones, Eira Williams, Derek Williams, Johnson White, Sarah Hobbs, Andy Smith
Director: Louise Osmond
Production Company: Darlow Smithson Productions
Running time: 85 minutes
Certificate: PG
Format: Cinema, DVD
Language: English
Dyddiad: 16th April 2015
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“Dark Horse is a shuddering, but delicately handled, exploration of that most basic human desire: to leave a mark and to forge a legacy. The people of Cefn Fforest can rest assured – their story will not easily be forgotten.” – The Telegraph
Film Hub Wales worked closely with Picturehouse Entertainment on the Welsh-set documentary Dark Horse (2015). The film release was backed with a Breakout award from the BFI Distribution Fund and the production was funded by the BFI Film Fund, alongside Ffilm Cymru Wales.
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“[The Hub] was really helpful in connecting us to the right people and coming along and supporting it. We had Welsh celebrities coming out and a red carpet premiere. That was really helpful to have that support for that.” Jon Barrenechea, Picturehouse Entertainment |
We included Dark Horse at two Preview Day events in January 2015, one of which was attended by the Picturehouse Entertainment team and it also featured at a Hub member networking event in Cardiff. We also worked with the BFI to secure an earlier window for non-theatrical bookings for Hub members. The film was one of the top three supported and performing Welsh film titles between 2013-2017 with supported screenings including at Theatr Gwaun and The Ffrwrnes.
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“At the Welsh Film Preview Day […] the film ‘Dark Horse’ stood out as the ‘must screen’ film for our venue; indeed, when the film ratings were published following the preview day, it became obvious that the audience thought the same way […] The staff & volunteers were delighted but slightly overwhelmed by the volume of people coming through the door […] The film was really well received which was shown by the applause at the end.” Theatr Gwaun 2015 |
