Directed by Ian Campbell

Logline: Early in the 20th century the horse was supplanted by a new means of power.

Synopsis: At the dawn of the 20th century the horse was supplanted by a new means of power. This new invention is making itself known across the prairies of North America. Soon it will make its presence felt in a most radical way.

Distribution Contact: WFG

More Details

RUNTIME: 7 Minutes
GENRE: Documentary, Animation
PRODUCTION FORMAT: HD
LANGUAGE: English
LOCATION: Saskatchewan
TECHNIQUES: Silhouettes, Choreographed
KEYWORDS: History, Horse, Puppetry, Shadow, Prairie, Saskatchewan

Director's Statement: The First Engine is a film that came out of the Prairie Puppet underground, a loose collection of filmmakers in Saskatchewan, Canada who have taken to producing exclusively puppet based films. I wanted to create a hybrid form which could make use of live actor choreography and cardboard cutout puppetry. I enjoyed the odd synthesis of styles of movement that this creates and hope to continue in this vein in the future.