Where Once They Mattered (2015)

This is a "road film" about the importance and symbolism of rescuing an abandoned group of animals and dashing across an entire continent to get them to safety in the land of their genetic ancestry. It is also a tribute to a cornerstone of Newfoundland and Labrador culture. The urgency of the rescue is underscored by the hauntingly sad backstory of the breed. This is not a history lesson. It is a rescue drama unfolding along the highways of an entire continent. But with only 400 left in the world, the very breed is in a real fight for survival. And so the film balances the sweep of the animal's sad heritage story with the narrative tension of a very real race to save the BC ponies and get them home to the province for they were named. The result is an emotional story that not only engages audiences with the plight of these twenty ponies, but also drives home why they should even care.