Amarillo man and new filmmaker nominated for Cannes World Film Festival

Cole Brakebill purchased his first camera for cinematography last year. Then, he spent hours upon hours listening to podcasts from producers, movie directors and filmmakers as he learned the secrets behind his newest hobby.

Now, the Amarillo resident is a nominee for a monthly screening at the Cannes World Film Festival.

Born and raised in Portales, New Mexico, he boasted on the town’s pride in its rich history. After living in the Panhandle for about 14 years, his goal is to foster the same sense of heritage and familiarity between his new community and its members.

So he created his first-ever short film: “Don’t Bet the Horse You Rode In On.”

“My vision was to make something that had some type of importance to the area,” Brakebill said. “I wanted to open the door and present the information to people, and they decide how they get to feel about it. But I wanted to make sure it was something worth seeing.”

The eight-minute film delves into the earliest history of Amarillo — unfamiliar to many — and the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon, which took place 150 years ago in September.

He added that he hopes it will encourage locals to reflect on the region’s history with Native Americans and the state’s decisions that followed the removal of Indigenous populations.

“Coming from New Mexico, I recognize the fabric of our state has lots of Native culture,” Brakebill said. “And in Texas, I just assumed that the area didn’t have Native Americans, and once I learned that this was their home, I felt like I needed to have a story that I could tell people without just telling them. I wanted people to think about the world that was before pioneers and settlers — and how we just changed the make-up of the entire United States."

“I think the main thing that’s disorienting about it is you flash from, ‘I’m trying to have success in this world that I know exists’ and then uncovering a story that questions the foundation of our world,” he added.

The one-man film — for which Brakebill was the sole actor, producer, director and filmmaker under his company Roosevelt Road Video — will screen in private theaters through the summer.

While he humbly distinguished the film festival from the world-famous Festival de Cannes, the competition is located at the same Cineum Cannes, and some of the notable film stars include Neil Young, Jane Goodall and Andy Garcia.

Each of the winners from the monthly competition by IMDb will also compete in an annual competition for a separate screening at the Cannes World Film Festival.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Amarillo man, new filmmaker nominated for Cannes World Film Festival