A new documentary, “Cheyenne,” premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, profiles four women competing in the traditionally male-dominated sport of bucking bronc riding. The film follows Bee, Brooke, Lake, and Ally as they navigate the rodeo circuit, aiming for the championship at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
The documentary highlights the challenges these athletes face after nearly a century of gender exclusion. The goal of bronc riding is to remain in the saddle for eight seconds without being thrown. As the film’s synopsis states, the sport “teaches you how to take a hard fall and get back up again.” Each rider has personal motivations: Bee is a seasoned veteran providing for her son, Brooke is learning to cope with the physical pain of the sport, Lake seeks distraction from past trauma, and Ally is competing for a life-changing payout.
The film crew followed the quartet for several months, documenting their physical and mental endurance as they compete for a spot in “the Daddy of ’em All,” Cheyenne Frontier Days. An exclusive clip reveals the physical toll the sport takes, with Bee stating, “I didn’t feel a thing…Adrenaline starts pumping. There’s a lot you don’t feel.” She continues, explaining the mental fortitude required, “In rodeo, you’ve got to block out eight seconds of anything that is pain to keep taking it. If it’s truly what you want to do.”
Jenna Bush Hager is a producer of the documentary, alongside Taimi Arvidson, Sarina Roma, Scott Budnick, Ameet Shukla, and Ben Spector. Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard are executive producers. Bush Hager stated, “These cowgirls are courageous, smart, funny, and fiercely determined to make room for themselves in a sport that has kept women on the sidelines for far too long. They keep showing up for their dreams, their families, and for one another.”
TIFF programmer Thom Powers noted the double standards faced by female riders, citing a trainer, Daryl, who observed, “A guy gets hurt and they hope he’s okay. A girl gets hurt, and they’re like, ‘She shouldn’t have been out there.’” CAA Media Finance is negotiating the documentary’s sale as part of TIFF’s inaugural market. The film will have its world premiere at TIFF on Sunday.
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