Sorraia

Poster Audio

Writer's Statement
By Scott Forslund

I remember the first time I slipped under a rail and entered a fenced-in area at my sister's ranch where about fifty Kiger Mustangs were grazing. I was alone and they all looked at me. Many of them were just off the range and truly wild, but they weren't frightened. In fact, several approached me with curiosity. Soon I was surrounded by about a dozen mustangs, including a mare who softly whinnied. I stroked the bridge of her nose and she nuzzled me as if to acknowledge my scent, then went back to grazing. I went on to ride several of these magnificent horses over the years, and as others will tell you, they have high intelligence, are rock-steady trail horses, and seem to like humans. The first Kigers were discovered in 1977 by the Bureau of Land Management. Genetic testing revealed these mustangs were rare descendants of Spanish horses brought to North America by conquistadors in the 1500s. In the years since their discovery, the BLM has managed the wild herds and placed many up for adoption. Our screenplay is a fictional account of a similar discovery, of rare Sorraia mustangs with even greater genetic significance and explores how human contact can either save these amazing horses or doom them forever.

IN DEVELOPMENT

TS Pictures presents

Sorraia

A Screenplay by
Scott Forslund and Tim Ryerse

Contact Us for a download link to the screenplay.

Synopsis

Following the death of his father, reclusive bronze artist Sam Hayes returns to the ranch of his youth in the rugged high desert of Oregon. Searching for inspiration to carve the wax that would become his next piece, he stumbles upon an old diary filled with entries about a rare herd of wild mustangs. George, an aging Native American who's stayed on at the ranch, reveals to Sam that his father had trained several of the mustangs, and describes how they could be a remnant of Iberian horses brought to the New World hundreds of years ago. After Sam's twelve-year-old son Mike arrives for the summer, he takes the boy on a campout to search for the mysterious herd, but instead they discover the future site of a massive open pit mine that would threaten the horses. Moved to action, Sam joins a legal fight to stop the mine, even though he's facing bankruptcy and his relationship with Mike has suffered due to the boy's perceived abandonment. To save the ranch, George suggests Sam enter a cow cutting competition riding a mustang, and he heads out to find the herd. Upon his return with several mustangs, Sam and Mike work with them together and their relationship thaws. At the competition however, Sam places second and all seems lost until a wealthy horse breeder joins forces with him. With the help of Ellen James, a University of Kentucky geneticist, Sam is stunned to learn that a blood sample from one of the mustangs traces them to the Sorraia Valley in Portugal and possibly the oldest equine DNA in the world. As a romance develops between Sam and Ellen, their effort to save the mustangs gains ground. But the herd is a roadblock to the mining interests, and it's targeted for destruction. When the mine owner’s henchmen raid the ranch and endanger Mike in the crossfire, Sam defends his son and home. And in a last-ditch effort to stop the mine, he makes his case before a judge to reveal the true nature of the mine's owner, a man who would cause the genetic extinction of one of the rarest creatures on Earth.

Sorraia

IN DEVELOPMENT

TS Pictures presents

Sorraia

A Screenplay by
Scott Forslund and Tim Ryerse

Contact Us for a download link
to the screenplay

Synopsis

Following the death of his father, reclusive bronze artist Sam Hayes returns to the ranch of his youth in the rugged high desert of Oregon. Searching for inspiration to carve the wax that would become his next piece, he stumbles upon an old diary filled with entries about a rare herd of wild mustangs. George, an aging Native American who's stayed on at the ranch, reveals to Sam that his father had trained several of the mustangs, and describes how they could be a remnant of Iberian horses brought to the New World hundreds of years ago. After Sam's twelve-year-old son Mike arrives for the summer, he takes the boy on a campout to search for the mysterious herd, but instead they discover the future site of a massive open pit mine that would threaten the horses. Moved to action, Sam joins a legal fight to stop the mine, even though he's facing bankruptcy and his relationship with Mike has suffered due to the boy's perceived abandonment. To save the ranch, George suggests Sam enter a cow cutting competition riding a mustang, and he heads out to find the herd. Upon his return with several mustangs, Sam and Mike work with them together and their relationship thaws. At the competition however, Sam places second and all seems lost until a wealthy horse breeder joins forces with him. With the help of Ellen James, a University of Kentucky geneticist, Sam is stunned to learn that a blood sample from one of the mustangs traces them to the Sorraia Valley in Portugal and possibly the oldest equine DNA in the world. As a romance develops between Sam and Ellen, their effort to save the mustangs gains ground. But the herd is a roadblock to the mining interests, and it's targeted for destruction. When the mine owner’s henchmen raid the ranch and endanger Mike in the crossfire, Sam defends his son and home. And in a last-ditch effort to stop the mine, he makes his case before a judge to reveal the true nature of the mine's owner, a man who would cause the genetic extinction of one of the rarest creatures on Earth.

Writer's Statement
By Scott Forslund

I remember the first time I slipped under a rail and entered a fenced-in area at my sister's ranch where about fifty Kiger Mustangs were grazing. I was alone and they all looked at me. Many of them were just off the range and truly wild, but they weren't frightened. In fact, several approached me with curiosity. Soon I was surrounded by about a dozen mustangs, including a mare who softly whinnied. I stroked the bridge of her nose and she nuzzled me as if to acknowledge my scent, then went back to grazing. I went on to ride several of these magnificent horses over the years, and as others will tell you, they have high intelligence, are rock-steady trail horses, and seem to like humans. The first Kigers were discovered in 1977 by the Bureau of Land Management. Genetic testing revealed these mustangs were rare descendants of Spanish horses brought to North America by conquistadors in the 1500s. In the years since their discovery, the BLM has managed the wild herds and placed many up for adoption. Our screenplay is a fictional account of a similar discovery, of rare Sorraia mustangs with even greater genetic significance and explores how human contact can either save these amazing horses or doom them forever.