Project Detail

Shergar

Synopsis

Loosely inspired by one of the racing world's biggest mysteries, Shergar is the story of the daring rescue of the eponymous thoroughbred, which, since its disappearance in 1983, has been the source of countless tales and myths. Newcomer Tom Walsh stars as a teenage stablehand who by chance recognises the stolen horse and, realising the danger it is in, leads it away to freedom. Chased by the ruthless splinter group of the IRA who organised the kidnapping, he enlists the help of a traveller (Ian Holm) and his young granddaughter (Laura Murphy).
Veteran cinematographer and life-long racing enthusiast Denis C Lewiston makes his directorial debut with the film. "Shergar has become a legend, he has entered into folklore as a mythical figure and in the film he inspires the young boy who saves him to look forward to the future. The horse and the greatness within him gives the boy hope and a sense of freedom." Lewiston teamed up with Jeff Geoffrey and Walter Josten of Los Angeles-based independent production company Blue Rider Pictures and the film went into production in the Isle of Man in the spring of 1998.
"This story was too good to pass over," says Geoffrey. "It's a classic, but Denis has really pulled it out of the traditional family genre. There's an edge and a depth to the film thanks to the complexity of the characters, the exhilarating pace of the narrative and the emotional pay-off of the climax."

Details

Year: 2000
Type of project: Features
Director: Denis C Lewiston
Composer: John Scott.
Dir: Denis C Lewiston.
Exec prod: Brian Agnew.
Prods: Jeff Geoffray, Walter Josten, Agnew.
Scr: Lewiston.
DoP: David Lewis.
Prod des: Brian Ackland-Snow.
Ed: Alan Strachan.
Main cast: Ian Holm, Mickey Rourke, David Warner, Andrew Connolly, Tom Walsh, Laura Murphy.
Budget: $4m.
Funding: Private sources, pre-sales, gap financing.

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

BLUE RIDER PICTURES

2800 28th St, Suite 105, Santa Monica
CA 90405, US
Tel: (1) 310 314 8246
Fax: (1) 310 581 4352.

Sales Company

Nu Image

Territories sold: Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, UK.

(1) 310 246 0240

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

Set and shot along the East coast of England, from Kent through Lincolnshire, to Scotland, CHORK follows fifteen-year-old Kit and eleven-year-old Ani as they leave their foster home and trek across the coastline in hopes of a brighter future. With the police in pursuit and a national search underway, Kit must use all her determination and wits to protect Ani and fulfil their mission.

Drama

Black Church Bay

Director: Rhys Marc Jones

Year: 2026

In a remote Welsh coastal village, the disappearance of an openly-gay sixth form student disrupts the delicate balance of local life for one deputy head teacher, exposing long-buried secrets and threatening to tear the community apart.

Drama

A Time Before

Director: Leo Metcalf

Year: 2024

Olly sifts through his memories searching to understand why he is the way he is. The narrative swings between two contrasting worlds: his memories of his first years, captured by his childhood drawings, and surreal underwater live-action scenes representing his dreams. We witness fragmented memories of a torn family - an abusive father, a mother whose memory seems faded, and a sister, Sally, encouraging her little brother to escape through imagination and dreams. As memory and fantasy blur, The Time Before becomes a meditation on the stories we tell ourselves to survive, and what is lost in the telling. Official Selection Aesthetica Film Festival 2024

Docufiction Drama Experimental Sci-Fi