Filipe Masetti Leite's documentary premieres in Calgary
A young cowboy's epic journey 10 years in the making comes to life on the big screen for Calgary audiences starting on Canada Day.
The Long Rider is a documentary film shot by Filipe Masetti Leite with his story of adventure departing from the Calgary Stampede bound for his family's property in Brazil -- but the journey takes him beyond what he could've imagined.
"The first time I hit record on this project was over a decade ago," Leite told CTV News on Friday.
His long ride began in Calgary in 2012, when he left the Calgary Stampede grounds with his horses packed and headed south.
Leite captured about 500 hours of video, as he and three horses rode through the 12 countries between Canada, U.S.A. Central and South America over two years.
Leite is the youngest person to journey on horseback through this part of the world.
In 2020, he returned to the Calgary Stampede as the parade marshal, which he's described as an honour for a cowboy with a dream.
"Literally I feel like I have family in Calgary. I feel the Calgary Stampede is a part of my story and it feels amazing to share this film with audiences in Calgary," said Leite.
His journey to reach his family ranch in Brazil was at times lonely, even dangerous.
The Long Rider is a documentary film shot by Filipe Masetti Leite with his story of adventure departing from the Calgary Stampede bound for his family's property in Brazil -- but the journey takes him beyond what he could've imagined.
"It was fraught with speeding transport trucks and corruption at borders and nature's wrath," said the documentary film director Sean Cisterna.
Leite's journey didn't end in Brazil; he embarked on more long rides totalling more than 25,000 kilometres.
Along the way he learned more about himself, his horses, his family, and his sense of home.
The filmmakers say they wanted his global perspective to translate on screen.
"It's rooted in Canada but its so expansive and it definitely bridges the gap between north and south and Latin America," said Cisterna.
The Long Rider premieres in Calgary at the Cineplex Eau Claire with showings at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on July 1st.
The documentary will be shown in theatres around the world later this summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.