so she has decided to ride north, one woman, two horses, one dog crossing some of the wildest and most beautiful parts of this ancient land.

MIPCOM Pitch DOC 2013

Working Titles:

North from Granada, leaving Spain, Adios Amigos, Travels in Tapas country, The Long Ride Home, North from La Herradura, Leaving the South, Leaving Home

Formats

13 x 21 minute or 6 x 21 HD real life travel adventure discovery series

Supporting documents

Website www.thelongridehome.com

Teaser Trailer https://vimeo.com/39247464

Sample shots https://vimeo.com/50188087

21 min pilot episode available soon

Synopsis and 13 part episode breakdown.

Synopsis

North From Granada.

In this "one woman takes on the world" 13 part real life documentary adventure series we meet Dagmar Ritter, a German horse whisperer with a riding school in southern Spain who has left behind all she has, to ride alone northwards with her two horses Emilio and Albaro and dog Leo to find a new life leaving behind the chaos and problems of a failed business in the midst of the current financial crisis.

We experience this beautifully filmed ancient land through her eyes and those of the director/ camerman who followed her over a year between August 2011 August 2012. We are taken deep into hidden Spain, the off road villages and ancient pathways meeting characters out of an adventure book belonging to a far away time and place. We learn about horse riding, horse whispering, and her motivations to take a slow journey through the culture, cuisine and history of Spain.

Shot intimately on route by an experienced one man cameraman/ director Steve Wilson we get in close and share her highs and lows, the comedy, dangers, traumas and the drama of her journey to her eventual happy ending.

A full HD production, it is filmed over a series of 9 visits to find Dagmar as she rides north from village to village never knowing where she will head next or what will happen. Strong characters and high stakes frame this story narrated by cameraman Director Steve Wilson as he sets out to find her for each episode. Dagmar is the central protagonist in the series presenting to camera in three languages for better localisation.

This is conceived as an inspiring “for our time” adventure educational documentary series. Dagmar is a modern lone female heroine taking on the challenges of being stuck in a bad situation she isn’t responsible for, and through grit and persistence turns her life into a story with a happy ending winning through to find that illusive new life and new home for her and her family of animals.

Each episode starts with a short recap of where she has been and leads us through her next adventure and ends with a short ‘Waltons’ style reflection on what she has learnt this week. The narration follows the cameraman attempts to find her and provides the voice of an authentic observational eye at a distance complimenting her own presentations to camera and allowing for both an intimate encounter with her and her animals whilst retaining a light and ‘feel good’ compelling travel series feel. There are constant themes running throughout such as man and machine versus woman and horse; old ways and new problems; the current crisis and the way its effecting the people she meets, their attitudes, local food, history and current affairs. Every episode contains well paced moments of comedy, high drama and heart ache, good times and good people and leaves us inspired, buoyant, wanting to do the same and waiting for what happens next.

The programs come to a natural resolution after 6 or 13 episodes but is set up to allow for possible continuations. Dagmar is a heroine for our time and we see her becoming a celebrity in her own right with all the possibilities that can bring for further development.

13 Chapter/ Episode Breakdown.

Day 0 Death and Flamenco

Dagmar leaves her long time home in Frigiliana on the Spanish southern Coast and begins a journey of discovery riding through the old routes of Spain.

We look at her old life, the riding school, the work she did with children, her preparations as she talks about her expectations and what she hopes to find. We speak to her children friends and family and witness her good byes as she looks back over 18 years and says farewell to her old life. We wave goodbye as she leaves, riding over the Coastal mountains leading to Granada and meet her again three days later near Granada. She is in despair, her dog is dead, she is badly sunburnt, the camera car crashes into a ditch, the signs are ominous. Emilio and Albaro however are in good spirits and there is much to chat about over diner. We get invited to a private house to drink beer and listen to great live flamenco performance by the owners before returning to a moonlight kissed river to sleep in a tent next to the horses.

2. Day 5 Olives and Singing policemen.

We awake in a tent down by the riverside early morning in Oliveras. Lots of nature shots, and we cover the ride to Moclin with little aside stories – the decline of old food recipes and changes built up during over a 1000 years of local Olive production - the influence of the Moors linking present day Spain to its past. We meet the singing policeman in a farm in Arquillas and learn of his life as a campoman and we end with another night of a different style of Andalucian flamenco. We leave riding out of town through endless Olive trees,

3. Day 30 Stone Henge and Don Quixote who is actually a mad Englishman. We visit the Royal Way in Ruidera and learn of old kings, horses and carriages, BBQ with a notable local horseman and his recreation of stone henge overlooking his swimming pool. We ride with Don Quixote through Quixote country, Dagmar sleeps in police barracks and through a chance encounter is invited in for tea with the great great grandson of a famous kings architect.

10 more episode breakdowns available on request.

© 2013 www.whistlingMule.com