PRESS RELEASE
Award-winning filmmaker Nick Barkla’s timely and moving documentary THE HEALING, will embark on a national screening and Q&A tour across Australia, during October and November. THE HEALING explores a unique life-saving equine welfare program that brings traumatised ex-racehorses and traumatised military veterans and first responders together, to heal each other. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with cast and crew. Following the national tour, THE HEALING will be available digitally via good.film.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Southern Highlands of NSW, THE HEALING is a compelling journey of recovery that immerses us in the emotional drama of two very different worlds. This is NOT traditional equine therapy, where a well-adjusted horse helps heal a damaged person. The stakes are literally life and death for the heroes AND horses in the film.
The two vulnerable groups – the horses and heroes – are brought together by former Senior Constable with NSW Police and professional horseman Scott Brodie, whose system of retraining teaches new skills that build trust, patience and confidence. It’s an extraordinary mutual-healing, whereby the horses are retrained for second careers as equestrian, therapy or recreational horses, and the veterans and first responders regain their self-belief, returning to work and repairing relationships with family and friends.
Filmmaker Nick Barkla comments, “Too many ex-racehorses, veterans and first responders are suffering, and in some cases, dying. I hope the film brings awareness to Horse Aid, and Scott Brodie’s work, which can revolutionise the way the Australian Defence Force and Racing Industry responds to the crisis afflicting veterans and horses. The time for change is now!”
Tickets for the Q&A tour are on sale now via https://good.film/thehealing. For every ticket sold, 50% of profits go to Horse Aid to help support the rehabilitation of horses and heroes.
Read Andrew’s interview with The Healing director Nick Barkla here.
THE HEALING has won many awards, including the Beyond Blue Prize for ‘Best Film about Hope and Resilience’ at the 2022 Veterans Film Festival in Sydney. It also screened at Parliament House, Canberra, where it was introduced by the Hon Matt Keogh, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. It most recently screened for the staff of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
THE HEALING is directed and produced by Nick Barkla, co-written by Nick Barkla and Robert Drane, with Geoffrey Smith as Creative Producer and Mel Baker as Associate Producer. The film is edited by Sara Edwards with music composed by Tamil Rogeon. THE HEALING is a Staunch Films production, with support from Creative Victoria, City of Melbourne and Documentary Australia Foundation. The film is distributed internationally by Escapade Media and recently screened on TV in Finland and Thailand.
THE HEALING – National Screening and Q&A Tour
SYDNEY: Monday, October 30 at 7.00pm | Ritz Cinemas Randwick
CANBERRA: Wednesday, November 1 at 7.00pm | Palace Electric
BRISBANE: Friday, November 3 at 7.30pm | New Farm Cinemas
ADELAIDE: Sunday, November 5 at 7.30pm | The Piccadilly
HOBART: Monday, November 6 at 6.00pm | State Cinema
PERTH: Wednesday, November 8 at 7.00pm | Luna Palace, Leederville
MELBOURNE: Thursday, November 9 at 7.00pm | Cinema Nova
BOWRAL: Sunday, November 26 at 4.30pm |Empire Cinema
Further information and tickets at: https://good.film/thehealing
