Sons of the Soil

1 village, 1.000 tractors, 100.000 tons of cabbages & potatoes each year - which are hardly sold and eventually destroyed. Is there any way out?

Wolves are back. They bring along both fear and hope. Do they still have place in our nature?

A documentary film about wild horses in the west.

A group of riders demonstrate equestrian vaulting, or voltige, on the outskirts of Prague.

As „wings of men“ they became the faithful companion of a great nomadic nation thousands of years ago. Today, 28 years after the Soviet occupation, the little horse is an essential part of the cultural heritage and the search for identity of the modern Kyrgyz people. Based on its own story, a so called „good brown horse“ leads through the film and offers an insight of what it could mean to be „todays wings of men“. Told by a horse’s voice and through its eyes, this short film still is a documentary, but also a poetic journey to a nomadic culture.

Made in 1939 by Seabiscuit's owner Charles Howard. This inspirational film chronicles Seabiscuit's life from birth, through training, and the legendary match race with War Admiral.

A documentary portrait of a legendary Czech jockey, Josef Vána, reveals his inner world of thoughts. His unique way of life can't be described in words, and this is a first, really original view into his daily life around horses, terrifying accidents, and also stories about his family.

Two men. Two quests. Two centuries apart. Four ways to experience the search for a lost tribe. Film. Book. Album. App.

1972 in Haute-Savoie (France) : the Bertrand's farm, with a hundred dairy cows owned by three bachelor brothers, is filmed for the first time. In 1997, they were the subject of Gilles Perret's first movie, as they let their farm to their nephew Patrick and his wife Hélène. Nowadays, 25 years later, Gilles Perret take another look at this farm, managed by Hélène who will step down. Through their words, an intimate, social and economic history of the rural world.

What might it be like to be a horse? Not just any horse, but a top-end racehorse in Ireland? This is the question Horses explores, following three promising, charismatic horses over the course of one rather difficult racing year, bringing us into their world and revealing their distinct individual characters. Beautiful, unusual, and highly entertaining, the film combines the drama of a sports movie with the exploration of an ancient human obsession, offering a subtle critique of humanity's quirks on the side. (Storyville)

Machines relentlessly working under the scorching sun. Pumps, reels, and unbearable horizons behind corrugated metal sheets that spark at the touch. Eleven months after the devestated floods of 2023, the rural greek settlement of Metamorfosi, awaits the end of a suffocating August and its inevitable transformation.

For ten years, Raymond Depardon has followed the lives of farmer living in the mountain ranges. He allows us to enter their farms with astounding naturalness. This moving film speaks, with great serenity, of our roots and of the future of the people who work on the land. This the last part of Depardon's triptych "Profils paysans" about what it is like to be a farmer today in an isolated highland area in France. "La vie moderne" examines what has become of the persons he has followed for ten years, while featuring younger people who try to farm or raise cattle or poultry, come hell or high water.

This documentary follows various migratory bird species on their long journeys from their summer homes to the equator and back, covering thousands of miles and navigating by the stars. These arduous treks are crucial for survival, seeking hospitable climates and food sources. Birds face numerous challenges, including crossing oceans and evading predators, illness, and injury. Although migrations are undertaken as a community, birds disperse into family units once they reach their destinations, and every continent is affected by these migrations, hosting migratory bird species at least part of the year.

This short documentary offers a humorous look at horse-pulling contests in Ontario and the people who prepare for them. We travel from the farm to the contest, where excitement runs high and the quips do not lack in local colour. Which of these magnificent creatures will be able to pull the heaviest load and win the prize?

A champion of the equestrian world, Steve Guerdat has risen to the top of show jumping thanks to his exemplary work ethic and technical skill, but also through forging special bonds with his horses. In “Dream Team”, part of an exclusive documentary series about the Rolex family, he recalls what it took to develop profound partnerships with Nino des Buissonnets and Dynamix de Belheme, charges that helped him capture some of the biggest successes of his illustrious career.

The story of Irish farmer Thomas Reid who, for years, has been locked in a grueling battle with his neighbor - U.S. microchip manufacturer Intel who want to expand into Reid’s land.

A film about everything changing while remaining the same. Or rather – everything remaining the same while changing. We observed this (and wanted to share) while standing (standing regularly and for a long time) on a road rather close to the Eastern border of Latvia, because we followed the suggestion of the locals who asked to shoot “that horrible road”.

H&C's cameras follow Dean Dibsdall, who combines his two careers of farriery and being a part-time model and TV star. Find out how Dean became a farrier, and what his daily life entails.

Model farrier Dean Dibsdall gains an introduction to reining and learns the skills needed to go up in front of a judge at the end of the show.

La détresse au bout du rang