Film Festivals are something one reads about all the time. We accept them as institutions that drive the movie business in the same way that we take for granted music festivals and literary and other arts festivals, as things that exist almost as geological features of the landscape. Or at least the cultural landscape. 

What many of us don’t know is that the festivals that come to accept as institutions in and onto themselves, were all started by someone with an idea. This includes such behemoth such as Sundance, which was the idea of the actor Robert Redford. The Cannes Film Festival, which was the brain child of a French man called Jean Zay, who with a couple of friends decided to set up, what has become to be the defining festival of the entire movie industry. 

The Lollapalooza Music Festival was the idea of musician Perry Farrel. The list goes on. 

I have often wondered what it takes to really get a festival off the ground and make it successful. Lisa Diersen, who conceived the Equus Film Festival – a niche festival, specializing in equestrian based subjects is one of the few people I know who has made a go of it. 

Starting with an idea based around one documentary – The Horse Boy – it quickly grew and has now become self-sustaining and a stand alone within the myriad of festivals out there. It’s boutique and it’s unique and it works. 

In this episode we talk to Lisa about how she conceived it, got it off the ground, and made a success of it and how she keeps the whole thing going. 

She is also a horse breeder and horse trainer and makes a go of that too. In terms of living free and riding free, Lisa is right up there. Let’s find out how this extraordinary lady does it. 

Films to check out

• Healing Horses
• Riding my way back – Robin Rosenwell
• The Mustang Discovery Ride Program
• Lady Long Rider https://www.endeofthetrail.com/ 
• Unbranded https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3020666/ 
• A Man A Mule America https://www.pbs.org/video/our-state-mule-rider 
• Return of the horse https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076314/ 
• Equus Film Channel https://filmfestivalflix.com/festival/equus-2-2/
• Equus Film Festival http://www.equusfilmfestival.net/

Contact Lisa:

• [email protected] 

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• https://RupertIsaacson.com