Some real cowgirl shit: scene from the film “East of Wall” by Kate Betcroft
Foto: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
The young filmmaker Kate Betcroft was traveling in the US state of South Dakota to find stories and faces for her first feature film when someone told her that she should drive east of the small town if she wanted a real story, she would have one Find a woman named Tabatha.
The path brought her to a deteriorated ranch near Badland’s South Dakota, where the young cowgirl Tabatha Zimiga lived; A tough, large -scale tattooed horse trainer who had long blonde hair on one half of the cranzel and the other half shaved. The recently widowed woman sold via local auctions or on Tikkok horses to keep themselves and her family afloat. Her three -year -old baby, her mother, her partner, a lot of cats and dogs and a snake lived with her. Her ranch was also the home of a number of teenagers, especially girls – some of their own children, but most of the orphans from the village or children whose parents were hardly there or had no means to be able to take care of them. Everyone has found refuge with her. Zimiga provided her, taught them home pages. Some became Rodeo riders. At the auctions, they also performed acrobatic exercises on the horse that Zimiga had taught to demonstrate how well the horses are trained. And so everyone could contribute something to the community.
Fascinated by Tabatha Zimiga’s lifestyle and her small, daring cowgirls, the director stayed there for three years and lived with them. Tabatha Zimiga made one thing clear on the first day: “I’ll show you some real cowgirl shit.” (“I will show you real cowgirl stuff.”)
Based on the life of Tabatha Zimiga and her girls’ community east of Wall of Wall, Kate Beekroft’s debut film “East of Wall”, who celebrated its premiere at this year’s Sundance film festival. The work that was awarded the audience award is a documentary in which Tabatha Zimiga and the teenagers play themselves. An actress takes on the role of Tabatha’s mother and an actor embodies a wealthy rancher from Texas who wants to do business in South Dakota. A small fictional story accompanies the real story of a unique, taciturn but generous cowgirls. With “East of Wall”, Kate Betcroft presents a new American western, apart from ordinary, male-dominated cowboy films.
Iranian Sara Shahverdi teaches girls motorcycling. Scene from “Cutting Through Rocks” by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni
Photo: Mohammadreza Eyni/Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Far away from the erosion landscapes of the United States, in a village in northwestern Iran, another inspiring, tough, unusual woman was waiting to be discovered. She was also widowed, but on the contrary to the US Cowgirl Tabatha Zimiga, Iranian Sara Shahverdi lived alone. As the only woman in her village who drove motorcycle, she too tried to emphasize the girls in her community. But motorcycling was not enough for that. She lived in a small, patriarchal society in which children’s marriages were widespread. As soon as the girls have completed primary school, they were promised to marry. Shahverdi was the first female person in the village for the local council – and was elected. As a councilor, she now attended the girls’ schools, advised the teenagers not to marry early, closed a pact with them not to stop school.
“I will show you real cowgirl stuff,” Tabatha Zimiga made it clear to the director on the first day.
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Her home, which was her office at the same time, slowly became the meeting point for many village women. However, the patriarchy did not tolerate their activities for long, especially their efforts in female self -empowerment. When all the attempts failed to make them deliver their posts, they attacked authoritarian measures. Ultimately, her identity as a woman was questioned and she was referred to forensic medicine.
The history of Sara Shahverdi told the two young Iranian filmmakers Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni in their documentary “Cutting Through Rocks”, which was premiered in the competition of the world documentary of the Sundance film festival. The director of the director worked on this project for seven years.
At the end of the documentary we learn that the majority of the students married. The protagonist Shahverdi says that she wanted to change many great things in her village. “But sometimes you might have to take small steps first.” So she decides to teach the couple of girls who are not yet married. “Cutting Through Rocks” won the prize for the best world documentary.
It is very remarkable that the stories of Tabatha Zimiga and Sara Shahverdi met this year at the Sundance film festival; Two unknown, extraordinary fighters, both widowed, both living somewhere in nowhere, one in the prairies of the United States, others in a remote village in Iran, one teaches girls to ride horses to ride the other motorcycle. While the other larger film festivals of superstars and celebrities are obsessed, this is good news that you can still see some modest, susceptible everyday heroes on the Sundance.