Not many people know but horse riding is one of the most dangerous professions in Australia. This film will show a side to horse racing that's never been seen before, a place far away from the glamour of The Melbourne Cup, the very real story of a person determined to leave their mark on the world and the desperate lengths they will go to achieve their goals.

The film will promote horse racing and inform the wider public by showing the dedication, commitment and sacrifices jockeys must take to compete at the highest level. It will be a realistic representation of the industry rather than the glamourised version we are so used to seeing and we hope this will bring about a new found respect for the hard work jockeys put in every day, all around Australia.

Horse Feathers will be an emotionally charged film set in the lower echelons of the suburban Sydney horse racing scene and it will challenge every perception we have of the so-called “Sport of Kings”.

Visual reference for ‘Horse Feathers’

The Film

“Horse Feathers”is a short film written and to be directed by rising talent Tim Russell. The film focuses on an aging jockey who is forced to choose between one last shot at salvaging an unsuccessful career and their young family. Inspired by films such as “The Wrestler” and “Million Dollar Baby”, the film will focus on the sacrifices jockeys take in their pursuit of glory but ultimately this is a universal story and in the end we are compelled to question, what would you choose?

The Team

Writer/Director Tim Russell

Originally from Melbourne, Tim developed his film making skills by studying at Swinburne University and working in Los Angeles with River Road Entertainment, creator of acclaimed films such as “Into the Wild”, “Brokeback Mountain”and “The Tree of Life”. He has previously written/produced an award winning short film called ‘27’, which screened at the ’09 St Kilda Film Festival and ’09 Falls Creek Film Festival. Tim is based in Sydney and works as an assistant at Porchlight Films, creator of “Animal Kingdom”, “The Hunter”and “Little Fish”.He is also developing a few exciting feature film projects including one based on a high profile Australian artist.

Visual Reference for ‘Horse Feathers’

Producer Jiao Chen

Jiao began his career in film by crewing on several feature films, TV series and TV commercials. His production credits include: “Children of The Silk Road”, “Hunt Angels”, “Justice League of America”,“Mao’s Last Dancer”, “East of Everything 2”, “Rescue Special Ops” and numerous TV commercials. After establishing a solid background in physical production, Jiao trained as a producer under some of the industry’s best and is now developing a slate of his own stories for the big and small screens. Furthermore,he recently completed two short films with award winning directors and has produced music videos for major record labels. When not working on his slate, Jiao assesses scripts for distributors, production companies and investors.

Still from Tim Russell's short film ‘27’

Producer Caroline Tresise

Caroline is an emerging Creative Producer and Writer. Originally from Sydney, Caroline lived in Paris for a number of years where she completed a Bachelor of Arts from the Parisian film school, ESEC, and worked on a number of video clips and television commercials as an Assistant Director. After four years abroad, she has returned to Sydney and has been working as an assistant to Penny Chapman and Helen Bowden at Matchbox Pictures and busy developing her own slate. Caroline is currently Sue Taylor (Taylor Media) and Kylie Du Fresne’s (Goalpost Pictures) assistant on "The Deserter". Caroline speaks French and Italian fluently and has experience in bilingual production and translation.

Previous Updates

6/7/12

LEN HEUSER IS THE WINNER OF KERRIN McEVOY'S BREECHES!

The raffle has just been drawn for Kerrin McEvoy's Horse Racing Breeches and the winner is LEN HEUSER. Well Done to Len and thank you everyone for being involved.

Here's a reminder of what Len has won

PRESS

25/6/12

Max Presnell wrote an article in the Sydney Morning Herald today, showing support for Horse Feathers. On the same page as the coverage for Black Caviar's historic win at Royal Ascot!

7/6/12

Tim had some radio interviews this week to promote Horse Feathers, one with ABC Grandstand Digital!

Hoof on the Till Podcast

ABC Grandstand Digital "Hoof on the Till" Podcast with Helen Thomas and Max Presnell (Tim is the final interview, comes in at 24m 50s)