Tornado and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer 2009
2009 Monaco International Film Festival
"Tornado walks away with more awards than any other film"
The 7th Annual Angel Film Awards took place in Monte Carlo December 3rd - 6th, 2009. The Angel Film Awards is a celebration of non violent films. Tornado and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer walked away with a total of 6 awards in the 2009 Feature Film category.
-Best cinematography - Lee Doig
-Best director - Regardt van den Bergh
-Best supporting male actor - Danny Keogh
-Best original music soundtrack
-Best script
-The Humanitarian Angel Film award
Tornado is a true life film of patience, endurance and passion. The picture tells the story of two damaged souls: Pierre, a depressed and damaged young man and Tornado, an emotionally tormented horse. Sensing Tornado’s potential, Pierre travels to Noenieput, in the Groen Kalahari, to find Barrie Burger, a horse whisperer. With Barrie’s advice, Pierre and Tornado embark on a journey of healing and self discovery, one that will change their lives forever.
Having spent more than twenty years as a missionary traveling the Kalahari on horseback, Barrie developed a special talent. He gained a deep understanding of horses and learnt how to whisper to them. He teaches Pierre how to hear Tornado’s whisper, understand his pain, and release him from it.
Tornado, an Arab horse of the purest bloodline, was pushed too hard and too fast, to become a show horse. He developed Self Mutilation Syndrome, and became a danger to himself and others. Sterility, brought on by stress, made him worthless to his owner. Until he met Pierre, his future seemed bleak. Once a top athlete with a passion for running, Pierre’s dreams were shattered when he was crippled by rheumatism. Plagued by insecurity and depression, he too turned to self-mutilation.
As Pierre gains Tornado’s trust by following Barrie’s ten whispering steps, Pierre too begins to change. “In the quietness and the stillness and the vastness of the Kalahari, I also started to find my true calling.”
Tornado and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer
Movie Trailer:
“This film is about broken people,” says director Regard van den Bergh. “I believe we are all broken and we could all do with some healing.” Fresh from the completion of his previous film Faith Like Potatoes, van den Bergh is eager to tell another life derived story. “As a filmmaker, for me it is the most exciting thing to tell a true story and, in the telling of the story discover the integrity of the story and remain true to that without compromising anything of that person's life."
Tornado and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer
Tornado Dance
Tornado and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer
Creating an extraordinary experience