BFF 2015: “Tarpan: Repainting An Ancient Picture”, USA

Bulgarian screening premiere of the film:

“Tarpan: Repainting An Ancient Picture”, USA, 2014, Sophie Dia Pegrum, 30’

This is the story of mankind’s attempt to bring back a horse from the dead. Tarpan had roamed in wild herds across Europe for millennia, running through the dreams of our ancient ancestors and onto prehistoric cave walls. The film takes us on a journey of discovery, illuminating the dark past of the hunting lodges of Europe, miraculous scientific coincidence and the chilling efforts of the genetic breeders of the past. World Wars and doomed attempts to re-engineer the horse left a hopeless situation. Finally the careful work of an international group including the Polish State Studs, the work of biologists in the Netherlands and the tireless efforts of a dedicated group in Bulgaria brought a small herd of modern Tarpan to the remote Rhodope mountains of Eastern Europe. Here the horse faces a whole new challenge, struggling to become wild once again and bravely learning to find a way back to their ancient selves.