Hobbyhorse Revolution spotlights a group of teenage girls from Finland who spark a new organized sport called “hobbyhorsing” into a national obsession and igniting a global fascination and organically tapping into the female empowerment conversation. Visually unusual and sometimes amusing to the spectator, hobbyhorse competitors strive to place in equestrian style jumping and dressage events while riding their personalized homemade stick horses. The film’s worldwide festival release has generated interest across the Atlantic to the United States with features about the sport appearing in The Wall Street Journal, on ESPN and on the popular talk show, Ellen.
Hobbyhorse Revolution follows Aisku, Elsa and Alisa – three teenage girls who, despite being teased ans bullied, find a common ground by their new interest: hobbyhorses. Their dedication to hobbyhorsing empowers each of them personally and motivates them to create their own support community providing balance; something they lacked at their school and in their everyday lives. The hobbyists are unofficially organized, working on a voluntary basis. The young girls are active online with their Instagram accounts, blogs and forums. They are an ever-growing group that trains determinedly and organizes. Every handcrafted hobbyhorse has its own name and personality. Finland now boasts over 10,000 hobbyhorse competitors between the ages of 10-18 with leagues and competitions beginning to sprout in the U.S.
Hobbyhorse Revolution had it’s North American premiere at the 2016 Hot Docs Festival, won the Main Prize and the Risto Jerva Prize at the Tempere Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the Visions Du Reel Festival. POV Magazine said “a compelling film on the phenomenon, Hobbyhorse Revolution celebrates its subject matter with enthusiasm, resulting in a doc which is both deeply moving and endlessly amusing.” Thefts stated “in addition to making hobbyhorsing look fun, Hobbyhorse Revolution contains within it some well rounded personal narratives that make this much more than a passing curiosity.”
