The Horse Boy

The Horse Boy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichel Orion Scott
Produced byRupert Isaacson
Music by
Distributed byZeitgeist Films UK/US Warner Home Video US DVD
Release dates
  • January 2009 (2009-01) (Sundance)
  • September 30, 2009 (2009-09-30)
Running time
93 minutes
CountriesUnited States, United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Horse Boy is a documentary feature film about the quest of British journalist Rupert Isaacson and his wife, Kristen Neff, to find healing for their autistic son, Rowan, after discovering that Rowan's condition appears to be improved by contact with horses. The family leave their home in Texas for an arduous journey to Mongolia. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival under the name Over the Hills and Far Away.[1][2][3]

Book

Isaacson wrote a companion book about the experience titled The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son, which was released by Little, Brown and Company on April 14, 2009. It was a New York Times bestseller.

Film

The film was directed by Michel Orion Scott and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films.[4] It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival,[5] and won the Lone Star State Audience Award at South by Southwest in March 2009.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Published, Inquirer (October 1, 2009). "The Horse Boy". Inquirer.com. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  2. ^ "Sundance Institute". www.sundance.org. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  3. ^ Debruge, Peter (January 20, 2009). "Over the Hills And Far Away". Variety. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  4. ^ "The Horse Boy". Zeitgeist Films. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010.
  5. ^ Armstrong, Eric M (March 9, 2010). "Tallgrass Third Thursdays: 'The Horse Boy'". The Moving Arts Film Journal. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013.
  6. ^ "SXSW Film Awards Archive". SXSW. Retrieved March 4, 2026.