READ INTERVIEW WITH DANNY KEOGH AND REAL-LIFE HORSE WHISPERER BARRIE BURGER

READ AN INTERVIEW WITH REGARDT VAN DEN BERGH

READ INTERVIEW WITH QUENTIN KROG

READ MORE: THE CAST AND CREW TALK ABOUT MAKING TORNADO


Synopsis
Tornado is a true life story of patience, endurance and passion. Directed by Regardt van den Bergh, the picture tells the story of two damaged souls: Pierre, a depressed and damaged young man and Tornado, an emotionally tormented horse. Sensing Tornado's potential, Pierre travels to Noenieput, in the Groen Kalahari, to find Barrie Burger, a horse whisperer. With Barrie's advice, Pierre and Tornado embark on a journey of healing and self discovery, one that will change their lives forever.
Having spent more than twenty years as a missionary traveling the Kalahari on horseback, Barrie developed a special talent. He gained a deep understanding of horses and learnt how to whisper to them. He teaches Pierre how to hear Tornado's whisper, understand his pain, and release him from it. As Pierre gains Tornado's trust by following Barrie's ten whispering steps, Pierre too begins to change. "In the quietness and the stillness and the vastness of the Kalahari, I also started to find my true calling."
Tornado, an Arab horse of the purest bloodline, was pushed too hard and too fast, to become a show horse. He developed Self Mutilation Syndrome, and became a danger to himself and others. Sterility, brought on by stress, made him worthless to his owner. Until he met Pierre, his future seemed bleak. Once a top athlete with a passion for running, Pierre's dreams were shattered when he was crippled by rheumatism. Plagued by insecurity and depression, he too turned to self-mutilation.
Together they embark on a journey of healing.

Director's Statement
This film is about broken people. I believe we are all broken and we could all do with some healing. As a filmmaker, for me it is the most exciting thing to tell a true story and, in the telling of the story discover the integrity of the story and remain true to that without compromising anything of that person's life.
The exciting challenge for me directing Tornado was, I guess, the odd relationships that develop in this story. We have the boy, the horse, a girl and a mentor, some sort of Sage, if you will. These play out their parts in the wonderful landscape of the Kalahari.
For me the character's struggle to communicate is well parodied by the vastness of the country. This gave such an opportunity to explore, weaknesses and the strengths of the characters and eventually their beautiful victories - each one his and her own.
I love the windmills, figures in a landscape crying out for a little wind to refresh their souls. That's for me, what the movie is about.
As much as the Kalahari was a fascination for me, the actors were an inspiration. From Quentin's unassuming attitude to the work, Leán's natural flair for performance to Danny's ease, I had everything to sculpt this awesome little movie. I call it a little movie with a big heart. You think you watched a tiny movie but it makes a big move in your heart, and it lingers! I really love this film.

Regardt van den Bergh - Director
Regardt was born 2 September 1952 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He grew up in an acting family with his father Gert (still a celebrated actor) and his mother Dulsie. During Regardts' school career he acted in several films, most notable is Die Kandidaat. His performance as a juvenile delinquent won him recognition as an actor, serious about his craft.
After school Regardt worked as a trenching foreman for the South African Railways, to earn the money for his studies. In 1972 he went to the University of Cape Town obtaining a BA degree and a Performers Diploma in Speech and Drama. Before the end of his second year, Regardt won a part in an Afrikaans film, Ongewenste Vreemdeling. He decided to do the film and leave the University. He joined Jans Rautenbach (an acclaimed film director and producer in SA) as a general gofer, assistant editor and actor.
Regardt worked and acted for two years after which he landed a lead in the first Afrikaans TV series, Dokter, Dokter. For four years Regardt acted in many TV dramas and several films until he made his directing debut in 1980. Vyfster, an eight part mini-series won Regardt many awards and great acclaim in the industry. From then on he spent most of his time directing television programs for South Africa companies on a freelance basis.
In 1983 Regardt became the resident film director for Philo Pieterse Productions. His first feature film, Boetie Gaan Border Toe, broke all box office records in South Africa. Subsequent films ensured Regardts' status as one of South Africa's foremost film directors. Regardt made several films and won many nominations and awards. Most notable of these are Circles in a Forest, nominated as best picture and The Sheltering Desert for which Regardt received the Africa Mnet award for best director in 1990. In 2005 Regardt wrote and directed Faith Like Potatoes which has won him many international awards and acclaim.
In 1993 Regardt directed a docu-drama called The Gospel According to Matthew. This four-hour word-for-word biblical series soon became the top selling Christian video in the United States and is still selling thousands, twelve years later. This project inspired Regardt to take a look at the films depicting Jesus Christ as a character. He was immediately stirred to make a film showing Jesus as a likable, approachable non-religious man. Regardt has spent the past seven years developing a project called the Lamb. It will go into pre production towards the end of this year.

Producing Tornado
Tornado is the moving story of a horse and a man - broken by life, brought together by chance, healed by the curative powers of the Horse Whisperer of the Kalahari.
This magical film reveals their challenge - to find their way back to the path of happiness and reality.
The Kalahari Desert is a harsh unfriendly environment and filming there was extremely demanding. For the horse, the men and the women who took on the challenge, Tornado was a physical and emotional roller-coaster ride.     The Kalahari's difficult shooting conditions made life on set tough as electricity, water and accommodation had to be brought in to accommodate the crew.

"This film has had a lot of miracles that have happened around it for everything to happen.   I think we really got the right actors and they have done a brilliant job; the financing the film; the availability of key people working on the film all happened in a really unusual way.  But then coming down to the Kalahari to a place like Noenieput that only has four or five houses, and to try and make a film with a crew of about 50 people, in a place that's got no running water, no electricity, no accommodation, no cell phone reception and no telephones, was a real challenge.  But the crew has pulled together, and they've put up with minus eight degrees, sleeping in tents where the water has frozen up so they can't even have a shower.  I think they've done an amazing job" - Peter Lamberti

Capturing the beauty and vastness of one of the most beautiful deserts on earth can only be accomplished one way - from the air.
The slow motion shots were captured using the Phantom camera. Shot at 1000 frames per second on High Definition (2.2 million pixels) the powerful vision of a stallion galloping in slow motion, is a supreme technological moment. One of only 3 such cameras in South Africa, the Phantom Camera made a fantasy become a reality.
For the challenging riding sequences, the lead male actors were body-doubled by the original Barrie and Pierre in this true-life tale. Other members of the cast were fortunate to have the help of the riding experts to call upon"
Lights, cameras, and action descended on the isolated desert community of Noenieput with the tumultuous arrival of the film crew. It had been a long time if ever that so many people and vehicles visited the little town.

"There's not much going on in Noenieput.  Its gravel roads, there's no tar roads, there's no schools, there's no nothing here! And then the movie becomes a reality. And all of a sudden its vehicles and vehicles and lorries and lorries and lights and lights -whatever goes with it.  I think the whole of town came to a standstill. Absolutely." - Barrie Burger

Creating perfect doubles when the real person you are trying to recreate is also a part of the film is a challenge. Working on an Arab stallion, the star performer - is even more intense.

"The most exciting thing is doing the horse makeup, which is a complete novelty for me, I've never done it and I was afraid of horses before I started." - Christa Schoeman

He had to be taught bad manners before he could take on the role but Kashmir, the gentle grey Arab stallion was perfect to play the part of Tornado. His journey to the Kalahari from Gauteng was long and tough but Kashmir behaved like the star he is.
Despite incredibly tight deadlines and difficult working conditions in the middle of the Kalahari, crew and cast formed lasting friendships. Shooting was accomplished with laughter and hard work - definitely a labour of love.

"I think there was a general vibe on set that was very comforting and very happy and everyone got along and everyone could joke around with each other.  Everyone, you know, knew each other's sore points, and we bonded quite closely out here in the desert.  I think that you get to know people.  It's going to be tough to leave everyone hey, cos you split up at the end of the movie. Its, its going to hard." - Quentin Krog

Excited by the story, Everland Productions came on as executive producer, providing the film's financial backing, while Lee Doig, who's worked on several seasons of the Mark Burnett/CBS show Survivor, signed on as Director of Photography. Peter Lamberti of Aquavision TV Productions took the helm as producer, making this the first feature film for his company Aquavision.

Barrie Burger - Missionary & Horse Whisperer
Barrie (Barnard Jacobus Johannes) Burger was born on 6 March 1950.
He was raised in Upington and his earliest memories are linked to the vast empty spaces of the Kalahari desert.  The family moved to Pretoria when Barrie was 11 and this is where he grew up and finished his studies - BA (with psychology and philosophy) and BD Theology.
As a young man he was always concerned about the underdog, the under privileged and the disadvantaged.  His heroes included Tarzan, The Phantom and Robin Hood.  He resented Wolraad Woltemade for the death of the horse.  All of these were clear indications of his eventual missionary work on horseback!
Barrie started Kalahari Missions in 1985, after a very vivid dream which - to him - outlined his God-given calling and destiny.  Barrie: "I saw a man walking into the Kalahari desert on a dirt road.  He carried a Bible.  Even though he was tired and thirsty, he walked with determination.  I knew he was a missionary and I knew it was me."
Barrie decided on the horse as a method of transport, mainly to be able to associate with the poor communities around him.  During the more than 20
years of ministry, he has spent hundreds (if not thousands!) of evenings alone with his horse under the stars, en route to the lonely and isolated people of the desert.
Due to this constant and intimate relationship with the horse, Barrie has become an expert on the methods of communication of these silent creatures.  He has also gained a reputation as someone who does emotional therapy on horses and someone who knows how to work with difficult horses.  Many so-called problem horses have been helped through his methods and insight.  The term "horse whisperer" was ascribed to him in 2002.
Barrie:  "I think a horse whisperer is someone who understands the sensitivity of the horse's soul, someone who knows that through cursing and fighting and hitting you can force a horse to do what you want him to do, but in the process you lose the potential of a precious relationship.  With a horse you speak with your body, not with your voice.  You listen with your eyes, not with your ears.  And you touch with your heart, not with your hands."

Pierre Wilhelm van Rooyen
His childhood was spent as a happy carefree farm boy amongst cattle and horses.  He started riding almost at the time he started walking.  He learned early that every fall merely meant getting back on and trying again.  He remembers his childhood fondly - good times, happy times in a secure Christian family environment.
From an early age Pierre showed an exceptional talent for long distance running and at school he broke one athletics record after the other.  At the age of 9 - however - he started to experience extreme pain in his ankles while running.  After months of doctors and tests he was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which basically meant that his running days were over.
This was devastating to a young, active boy.  As a teenager the constant pain, medication and unfairness of it all started taking its toll, and Pierre started suffering from bouts of depression.  The frustration and inactivity finally manifested in acts of self mutilation as well.
In 1997 he enrolled at the University of Pretoria to do an agricultural degree.  This, however, did not feel right and Pierre decided to pursue his belief that he was called to the ministry and changed over to theology.  But he still had a lot of unresolved issues around his illness and pain and in 1999 he dropped out of this as well.
Pierre went back to his parents' farm and his love for the horses sent him to the Tswane University of Technology, where he enrolled for the diploma in Equine Studies in 2000.  This also did not last and he dropped out in 2001.  After several months of working on one horse farm after the other he finally ended up on a Nooitgedachter stud farm in Limpopo.  An elderly lady gave him three cassettes to listen to:  Barrie Burger's inspirational stories about emotionally damaged horses and the work he did with them.
The stories spoke to Pierre's soul and he could identify immediately.  He experienced some inner healing himself and headed back to Pretoria to complete his studies.  During the practical part of his diploma he met up with Tornado, a young Arab stallion with self mutilation syndrome.  Pierre identified with this tormented horse and gained permission from the owner and the lecturers to include Tornado's emotional therapy in his studies.
In August 2003 Pierre and Tornado arrived in Noenieput and - under Barrie's supervision - Tornado and Pierre both experienced life changing healing.
Tornado was sold to a new owner during this time and Pierre took him straight to his new 'family'.  Tornado is still the prize Arab breeding stallion of Karel van der Merwe and currently resides just outside Pretoria.
Pierre completed his diploma in Equine Studies and also completed a course in Youth Ministry in 2006.  He is currently working as a youth minister in Paarl.
Pierre started running again in 2005 and has completed several half marathons without any pain.  Doctors confirmed that the arthritis left some damage but seems to have been healed.
Pierre was married to Meretha in December 2007, by Barrie Burger, on a dune in the Kalahari desert.  They are planning to move to the Noenieput area in 2009, where Meretha's dad has two farms.  They dream of building up a youth ministry there… involving horses and emotional therapy.

Peter Lamberti - Producer & Filmmaker
Peter Lamberti, wildlife enthusiast and visionary, is the creative driving force behind Aquavision TV Productions, the largest wildlife filmmaking production company in South Africa
Founded in 1990, Peter's passion for filming extraordinary animal behaviour both underwater and in the wild African bush, has led Aquavision TV Productions from making local dive programmes to producing award winning internationally recognized wildlife documentaries.
His obsession and enthusiasm for capturing Nature's beauty and raw power has led to the making of over 100 environmental and wildlife films. These films cover a wide diversity of species and explore some of the most beautiful and remote places in Africa.
Not content with being one of the best both locally and internationally in the specialised field of wildlife documentaries, Peter produced his first full length feature film earlier this year. Due for nationwide release in March next year, Tornado is the heart warming true story of a man and a horse. Both broken and dispirited, the story is one of healing and belief set against the beauty of the harsh Kalahari Desert.
Now Peter and his Aquavision team have begun a new journey with Caught on Safari: Live. It will be filmed on location in the pristine wilderness of the Kruger National Park and Peter, together with National Geographic Channel, will take viewers on a journey into the Bush - live on camera.  Filming live on a global platform is an international first - even for National Geographic.
This truly innovative concept is what lies behind the filmmaker that is Peter Lamberti. It is the reason Aquavision TV Productions and Peter Lamberti are synonymous with the excellence and quality of their productions.

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