“Penny & Red: the Life of Secretariat’s Owner” Documentary Debuts at Boulder International Film Festival
Boulder, CO (PRWEB) January 30, 2014 -- Boulder-based Landlocked Films will debut “Penny & Red: the Life of Secretariat’s Owner”, a documentary about Penny Chenery, the tough, earthy woman who owned the legendary horse Secretariat, at this year’s Boulder International Film Festival.
While her life was no Disney movie, Penny’s story resonates with many women of her time. In addition to showing never-before-seen footage of the horse, Secretariat, the film on a deeper level shares Penny’s pathbreaking efforts to forge new roles for women in the sport of horse racing in the 1970’s. In this intimate documentary produced by her son and documentary filmmaker, John Tweedy, Penny matter-of-factly reveals that during her horse’s Triple-Crown season, she was having a passionate extramarital affair with her champion racehorse’s trainer, Lucien Laurin (played by John Malkovich in the Disney film).
“‘Penny & Red’ tells the story of Penny’s life from the inside. From her competitive, horse-crazy girlhood, through her years as a Littleton housewife, to her glory days with Riva Ridge and Secretariat – and on to her reflections from life on the far side of 90,” Tweedy said. “While she was incredibly fortunate to have bred and raced one of history’s greatest thoroughbreds, in many ways her story mirrors the journey of many women of her generation. Horse fans will see re-mastered and previously unreleased footage of Secretariat and Riva Ridge’s races. And documentary fans will see a moving story about a frustrated housewife in the 1960s who was granted an incredible opportunity to live out a dream.”
Penny and her family have rich Colorado history. Penny lived in Colorado for 25 years, and she – and the rest of the family -- live here now. Penny and Jack Tweedy were heavily involved in the founding of Vail before Penny took over her father’s horse operation in the late 1960s. It’s no accident that Penny’s 1972 Kentucky Derby winning horse was named “Riva Ridge,” after the Vail ski run and 10th Mountain Division battle in WWII (Jack Tweedy was Vail’s first general counsel and a 10th Mountain Division veteran). “Penny & Red” was directed and produced by Boulder-based Landlocked Films LLC and scored by Kip Kuepper of Coupe Studios in Boulder.
Penny, who is planning on attending the screening at the Boulder International Film Festival and doing a Q&A with the audience afterwards, says the film helps expose the truth -- a feeling that resonates with her life as she approaches the age of 92 on the 27th of this month.
“At my age, you stop worrying about what other people will think, and it becomes more and more important to tell the truth about who you really are,” Penny Penny said. “I think my son John has done a great job telling my story, and I’m thrilled that our hometown audience will get a chance to see it!”
“Penny and Red” will be shown at the Boulder International Film Festival on Saturday, February 15th at 2:30pm. Tickets are available at http://www.biff1.com/biff-2014/program/#18. To request a link to the online screener of Penny and Red, contact John Tweedy at (303) 819 1757 or john(at)landlockedfilms(dot)com.
John Tweedy, Landlocked Films LLC, http://landlockedfilms.com, +1 (303) 819 1757, [email protected]
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