Jenna Bush Hager-backed rodeo doc 'Cheyenne' rides into Toronto for world premiere
Jenna Bush Hager has backed a documentary about four cowgirls in wild bronc riding, and it will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, according to Variety.
The film is called Cheyenne. It is an official selection in the festival's TIFF Docs programme, which is reserved for non-fiction films from around the world.
Cheyenne follows riders Bee, Brooke, Lake and Ally as they work their way through the rodeo circuit toward Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Wyoming contest nicknamed "the Daddy of 'em All", Variety reported. Wild bronc riding means staying aboard a bucking horse for eight seconds. Women were shut out of the event for nearly a century.
The film is directed by Taimi Arvidson, who was born in Portland, Oregon and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism, according to TIFF. Bush Hager is a producer alongside Arvidson, Sarina Roma, Scott Budnick, Ameet Shukla and Ben Spector. Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard serve as executive producers.
Toronto lists Cheyenne as a film from the United States in its TIFF Docs lineup. The festival describes it as the story of four fearless cowgirls trying to prove something to themselves and to naysayers. The crew followed the riders and league organisers for an entire year, according to earlier production coverage.
A sale is already in motion. CAA Media Finance, the agency group that brokers distribution deals for independent films, is handling negotiations for buyers as part of TIFF's inaugural market, Variety reported. The market is the festival's first formal bazaar where sales agents show finished films to distributors and streamers.
Variety has also published a first look and an exclusive clip from the documentary.
What makes this stand out for festival audiences is the closeness of the ride. The cameras stay with the four women from small rodeos to the big week in Cheyenne, with the falls, travel and waiting in between.
