Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona theatrical premiere of “The Cowboy and the Queen” showing Sept. 6-12 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre.
“The Cowboy and the Queen” won the award for Best Indie Spirit Documentary at the recent Sedona International Film Festival and was one of the top audience favorites in the lineup.
“The Cowboy and the Queen” — from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Andrea Nivens — chronicles the life of Monty Roberts, a renegade horse trainer whose non-violent techniques never would have seen the light of day if it weren’t for an extraordinary endorsement and friendship with the late monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. With uncanny similarities in their understanding and love for animals, this unexpected pair broadcast Monty’s work to the world, eventually translating this gentle work to humans as well.
The film tells the story of a horse trainer whose revolutionary way of “breaking” horses through gentleness made him a pariah in his industry. Emerging from an abusive childhood in the 1930s and ‘40s, Roberts’ own struggles led to his becoming what would later be known as a “horse whisperer” — a style that sought to change the centuries-old way of “breaking horses” through violence and cruelty.
At a moment when he was facing the latest in a series of challenges, Roberts was summoned to England by Queen Elizabeth II to train horses in the British royal family’s stable. The two began a friendship that included Roberts and his wife staying at Buckingham Palace several times each year‚ and a professional partnership through Roberts’ bestselling books, that lasted until the Queen’s death in 2022.
At her funeral, Roberts traveled from his home in Solvang, California, to mourn his friend alongside presidents, heads of state, prime ministers, and dignitaries.
While telling the story of this extraordinary friendship in “The Cowboy and the Queen”, Nevins celebrates Roberts’ view that kindness and connection are more powerful than brutality, and that openness and communication can bridge worlds, if given the chance.
“The Cowboy and the Queen” will be shown at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre Sept. 6-12. Showtimes will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 6, 7 and 8 at 6:30 p.m.; and Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 9, 11 and 12 at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.