Buck: Sundance Review – The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter
6:54 PM PST 1/22/2011 by John DeFore

PARK CITY — A quietly captivating portrait of an unlikely character, “Buck” is as modest as its subject and wins viewers over just as easily. Holding strong appeal in the nonfiction arena, the pic could be a hit for distribs who manage to book it into Middle-American markets where few docs fear to tread.

Buck Brannaman, who inspired The Horse Whisperer, proves as impressively gifted in reality as any fictionalized version could be — and even, though his not-quite-handsome face would never compete with Robert Redford’s, possessed of an undeniable magnetism. A quiet man who almost seems to mind-meld with horses, he makes no secret of the belief that his training helps both horse and owner. Read complete article >

In The Can: Buck

New York Times – Warm Reception for BUCK

For Women, Sundance is Sunnier Than Hollywood

PARK CITY, Utah — Somewhere in the 600 or so miles between this mountain town, host to the Sundance Film Festival, and the movie factories of Hollywood, female filmmakers seem to vanish.

Of the top 100 movies at the 2010 box office, three were made by women: “The Last Song” (No. 51), “Nanny McPhee Returns” (96) and “Ramona and Beezus”(100.) Meanwhile, 27 of the 117 features playing at this year’s festival have female directors.

The Oscar-nominated actress Vera Farmiga is here with her high-profile directing debut, a haunting portrait of self-discovery called “Higher Ground.” The newcomer Cindy Meehl has one of the festival’s most talked-about documentaries in “Buck,” about bonds between people and horses.  Read NY Times article…

indieWIRE FIRST LOOK

Sundance Trailer and Poster

With so many movies going into Sundance without distribution, many of them docs, getting them seen by the right people is tough. Cindy Meehl’s Buck has the advantage of being the behind-the-scenes true story of the man behind Nick Evan’s novel and the film made from it by Sundance’s own Robert Redford, the producer-director-star of The Horse Whisperer (1998). Our exclusive first look at the poster and trailer is below.

Official Selection 2011 Sundance Film Festival Laurels for BUCK

2011 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Competition

BUCK is one of 16 films selected from 841 submissions in US Documentary Competition.

Buck (Director: Cindy Meehl) – In a story about the power of non-violence, master horse trainer Buck Brannaman uses principles of respect and trust to tame horses and inspire their human counterparts.  See announcement