Posted: 10th September 2020 | Back to news feed
Equine Productions has today, Thursday 10th September, announced the production of a powerful short film, The Fall, that will focus on the mental health of jockeys and aims to raise the awareness of mental health within the sport of horseracing.
Great British Racing is proud to support the promotion of the The Fall, which will be produced by racing insiders Equine Productions and has been written by Equine Productions’ Visual Director Nathan Horrocks, who will co-direct the feature with Cold Feet star Robert Bathurst.
The Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust is the film’s title sponsor with other financial backing coming from the Professional Jockeys’ Association and the mental health charity, Even Keel Foundation.
The announcement comes on World Suicide Prevention Day, which aims to provide a worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides.
The film, which is expected to be released early 2021, centres around how a jockey has to deal with the suffocating aftermath of a high-profile fall at a final fence in an important trial race. The film follows the journey of the jockey following this disappointment, tackling the notion that jockeys, and sports people more widely, can suffer in silence from mental health issues, often feeling the need to put up a ‘front’.
Pre-production of The Fall has begun with filming due to take place this December.
Horrocks said: “This film is a real passion project. The idea came to me a number of years ago following my own battle with mental health. Losing friends like James Banks, Dean Crossman, Michael Curran and recently Liam Treadwell, gave me the drive finish writing the film."
He continued: “I would like to thank The Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust, our title sponsor, The PJA and The Even Keel foundation for believing in me and funding the film. I am extremely excited that Robert Bathurst is going to be part of our journey, bringing his wealth of experience to the production will help us show the audience what these athletes endure. We are all human, sometimes that gets lost in the result.”
Robert Bathurst, who plays David Marsden in popular ITV1 series Cold Feet, said: “This project appeals to me because it is being made by racing industry insiders who have a deep personal understanding of the issues raised."
Bathurst, who will co-direct the short film, continued: "Equine Productions make high quality documentary films and this is the first time they have used actors. My job is to collaborate with the director Nathan Horrocks and work with the actors to bring out the drama. All followers of racing have been shocked by the recent sad events involving jockeys, trainers and stable staff; mental health problems in the industry are now more widely discussed and there is a greater awareness of their causes. This film is part of that campaign.”
Nigel Payne, Trustee and Administrator of The Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust said, “When Nathan contacted me about The Fall it was very opportune timing.
Payne said: "Peter’s Trustees had just agreed that the issue of mental health would become a priority as far as we concerned. Therefore, to become the title sponsor of this film fits perfectly with our objectives. Peter would have been delighted.”
Paul Struthers, CEO of the Professional Jockeys Association, said: “Nathan first shared the script with me a year ago and it was incredibly powerful. We quickly agreed to support the film financially and I’m thrilled its now fully funded and that Robert Bathurst is involved in the project."
Struthers added: “The issue of mental wellbeing is very personal to me as it is for Nathan and with Sam from Even Keel Foundation, and we know it’s a significant issue for our membership. The Fall fits in perfectly with our mental health strategy, complementing what we are already doing and the enhancements we will be making over the coming months to our wellbeing provision. It can also serve to continue help us break down the stigma and continue to try to create an environment where talking about how we feel, accepting that it’s okay not to be okay and utilising the support that the PJA provides its member is normal.”
Speaking on the concept Samantha Hillier, chairman, founder and trustee of the Even Keel Foundation, said: “It’s positioning in raising awareness for mental health and its inherent message of it being ‘okay not to be okay’ is just so perfectly aligned with the message that we are continually trying to project, particularly amongst men.
Hillier continued: “All too often men still bottle-up how they feel and resist the temptation to talk through fear of it making them appear in some way, weak. We feel sure this film will go a long way to breaking down that stigma and help make anyone watching it more aware of the impact their actions and words can have on someone else’s mental wellbeing.
“Nathan has done such a fantastic job with the script - really tackling the issues surrounding mental health for athletes head on - and we are delighted to offer our support.”
The Fall begins filming in December and with an expected release date early 2021. For more information please contact thefall@equine-productions.com.
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