Debut.


Logline: Three apprentices begin their journey as jockeys in one of the most dangerous sports in the world.

Synopsis
They’re the new recruits. Three apprentices embarking on their first year as jockeys in one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Each month they’ll train together at jockey school residentials. While they’re not training with the group, they’re out at training tracks around Victoria, Australia. Mucking out boxes, saddling up, and riding trackwork. They’ll progress from riding in ‘jump outs’, where they learn to jump out of the starting gates, then to official trials; both steps on the path to being cleared to ride in races as fully-fledged jockeys. The pressure on the young riders to stay safe and succeed is immense. Debut takes us on a ride as they prepare for their first race.

  • Peta Hitchens
    Director
    Filming Dogs
  • Peta Hitchens
    Writer
    Filming Dogs
  • Shannon Owen
    Producer
    Miss South Sudan Australia, My AI Lover, Thomas Banks' Quest for Love
  • Natasha Brock
    Director of Photography
    internet friends
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 15, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    5,780 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Victorian College of the Arts
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
    Melbourne VIC
    Australia
    July 21, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Texas Gold Film and Sport Festival
    Houston, TX
    United States
    October 19, 2024
    Best Documentary Short
  • Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival
    Gympie QLD
    Australia
    September 27, 2024
    Official Selection
  • EQUUS Film & Arts Fest
    Saine Charles IL
    United States
    November 15, 2024
    Best International Student Film
  • Twelve Lions Film Festival
    Lexington KY
    United States
    September 27, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Australia Independent Film Festival
    Brisbane QLD
    Australia
    October 25, 2024
    Semi-Finalist
  • Sony Catchlight Film Festival
    Sydney NSW
    Australia
    September 28, 2024
    Finalist
  • Bandung International Student Film Festival
    Bandung
    Indonesia
    November 25, 2024
    Best International Documentary
Director Biography - Peta Hitchens

Peta is an emerging documentary filmmaker with an academic background in veterinary and medical epidemiology. Her films have the same intention as her research, to examine the risks and rewards of human-animal relationships, and particularly to improve the safety and welfare of working and athletic horses and those that work alongside them. A recent graduate of the Masters in Film & TV (Documentary) at the Victorian College of the Arts, Peta is a grateful recipient of the Harry Hains Memorial Film Bursary, Orloff Family Charitable Trust Award, and is an Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) Leading Light.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My first pony was a fast little thing. So as a keen Pony Clubber, I aspired to ride in races. But my parents encouraged me to go to university instead of undergoing a jockey apprenticeship.

Still dabbling with the thought of race riding, when I was 26, Ray Silburn, a jockey that rode my family’s first winner, fell from his horse. Caza Ladron had suffered a bleeding attack, collapsed, and died. Ray is now a quadriplegic. Just a month later, two jockeys, Gavin Lisk and Adrian Ledger, died on the track. After witnessing these traumatic incidents in quick succession, to both racehorses and their riders, I came to the realisation that becoming a jockey was not for me.

Instead, I was driven to try and prevent these incidents. In 2011, I completed my PhD on the epidemiology of jockey injuries and fatalities. And for the last six years I have worked alongside Racing Victoria to improve safety and welfare for both horses and their riders. This has provided me with unique access to the apprentice jockey cohort to make this documentary. I want to understand why I was driven away from a career as a jockey where others are driven towards it. And Debut has allowed me to live vicariously through Thomas, Lauren, and Luke’s journeys.