Riders of Destiny Film 
Cinema Documentary 2019




The Cinema Documentary of Seventyone Films and Encompass Films follows the Child Jockeys of Sumbawa in Indonesia.




“The way to heaven is on horseback”
An old saying that rings true… unless you are a four-year-old racing in Indonesia, where your health and future prospects depend on the outcome of every race. 




Synopsis:
A young boy stares wide-eyed through narrow slits in a cotton hat, as his tiny fingers clutch a horse’s mane, knuckles white. The beast kicks out repeatedly as two men wrestle with it, forcing it into the cage of a starting box. It takes several minutes for them to get the horse in position, as all the while the boy keeps a tight grip on the mane, his legs wrapped around the horse’s belly. He tries to protect his bare feet as best he can, as the horse lurches left and right in the confined space and rears up on its hind legs. At last, the gun fires. The gate flies open. Horse and boy are unleashed from the starting box. They gallop away down the track alongside five other horses and their small riders, accompanied by the sound of cracking whips and screaming men. The small jockey atop the horse is named Firman. He is five years old. 
The scene takes place in Bima, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. Firman is one of many child jockeys there. Riders of Destiny follows Firman and another young boy, Sila, aged 7, as they participate in a season of traditional horse racing. 




Sumbawa is one of the poorest regions in Indonesia. The land yields barely anything, and there are few alternatives of making money. The level of education is extremely poor. In the fight for survival, becoming a jockey is oftentimes the hope for families. It’s one of the main reasons this tradition of racing has endured for centuries. Their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers all rode as children… but these child jockeys, competing in appalling conditions, keep getting younger. While their ancestors began at 10, the child jockeys of today often get their first taste at 3.
In Indonesia it is illegal for children under 15 years of age to work – but that doesn’t stop horse owners from buying talented riders at increasingly earlier ages. Why? Because the horses of Sumbawa are small, and so the smaller and lighter the jockey, the faster the horse. Racing in Sumbawa is big business, and locals enjoy betting on the outcome - even though gambling here is illegal. Officials turn a blind eye. In fact, horse racing has never been more popular. The market for the pint-sized jockeys is hugely competitive, and one jockey is able feed his family for an entire generation. 




The young jockeys gamble with their health and even their lives to fulfil their parents’ dreams of making a fast buck. They hurtle down the track at speeds of up to 70 km/h as many as 20 times a day, barefoot and without a saddle or any protective clothing. The fight for victory is hard and the line between success and failure is razor thin. Accidents occur frequently. Many children get crippled. Some die.




Sila and Firman have not been badly injured yet. But Sila is one of the most successful small jockeys and that means that he competes in many races. In his first season of racing Firman fell off his horse almost every day. As an outsider, it is hard to watch the level of responsibility that lies on the small shoulders of these young jockeys. But families on Sumbawa face very different challenges to those of the spectators and it is difficult to differentiate between right and wrong when basic survival is at stake.




Away from the races, the young jockeys are friends. They play football, gallop along the beach on their beloved horses they grew up with. They run riot and laugh – until they are lifted onto horses in the starting box. Then the young boys face the danger of the work they are doing, and we can see the pure fear in their eyes...




Firman and Sila are just 5 and 7 years old. They ride as children's jockeys to feed their families. They risk everything.




Protagonists:
Child Jockey Sila 5 (Indonesia)
Child Jockey Firman 7 (Indonesia)
Photographer Romi Perbawa 47 (Indonesia)
Crew:
Director: Michael Niermann (Germany)
Director of Photography: Dominic Gill (USA)
Producer: Ansgar Pohle (Germany) 
Co-Producer: Nadja Gill (USA)
Marketing and Webdesign : Inookmedia (Germany)
Head of Online Marketing: Tobias Heppermann (Germany)




At Festivals, Riders of Destiny was awarded as follows:
“Best International Potential” Thessaloniki 2018 ✔︎
"Social & Human Interest" Sunny side of the Docs - France 2018 ✔︎

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