Jan Haaken talks with Aaward winning documentary filmmaker Kathy Kasic about her new documentary "Loose Horses." The film focuses on the the intermediary auction pens in which unwanted domestic horses might either find a new life or be sent to the slaughterhouse. Set in Billings Montana, this film examines the human-equine bond and how lines are drawn between emotion and necessity. A gruff Montanta cowboy named Buzz is featured alongside a horse known only as #1052 as this observational film follows the path to either life or death.
Kathy Kasic is a faculty member in the School of Film and Photography at Montana State University. She has exhibited internationally through festivals, museums, galleries and broadcast television on National Geographic, BBC, PBS, History Channel, CBS and the Discovery channel.
"Loose Horses" will be shown in the Whitsell Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum on Tuesday, July 19 at 7:00 pm.
As part of the same Northwest Film Center series on Nortwest Industry and Animal Husbandry, Jan Haaken's own film "Milk Men" will be shown on Monday, July 18 at 7:00 pm, also in the Whitsell Auditorium. "Milk Men" explores the challenges dairies are facing as they are forced to increase production to keep up with forces in the global economy. As rural Americabecomes more industrialized, dairy farming emerges as a fascinating microcosm of moder-nity with its potential for rethinking indicators of progress.
Jan Haaken is professor emeritus of psychology at Portland State University, a clinical psychologist, and a documentary filmmaker. Milk Men is her 5th feature film.
Photo Credit: "Horses" by Francis Storr
- KBOO