Kansas City PBS is proud to announce the premiere of Copper Boyz: Sharing the Saddle, an upcoming documentary directed by Kansas City PBS film fellow Collin Riggins. Riggins’ first solo film feature introduces audiences to a group of Kansas City cowboys who ride city streets and empower at-risk communities.
Known for riding horses through Kansas City nightlife, the Copper Boyz are also mentors, fathers and community leaders. Drawing on their own experiences with incarceration and adversity, they teach horsemanship, leadership and self expression to unexpecting audiences and local youth.
"This film ultimately is an ode to the Copper Boyz and the deep labor of love, care, community and commitment that they bring to horsemanship every day,” Riggins said. “There is so much talk about the future of Kansas City. To me, they embody the kind of future that, I think, we all can only dream of living in."
Copper Boyz weaves together intentionally poetic verité footage shot on digital and 16mm formats, psychological sound-design, intimate interviews and first-person POV footage from the Copper Boyz themselves. The film not only spotlights the work that they do to cultivate community but situates it within a broader context of violence in the city that they come from, know and love. Rather than fixating on violence, Copper Boyz acknowledges the way violence continues to impact lives and ultimately seeks to establish the Copper Boyz as a group of young men who embody a brighter future for local communities.
"We are so fortunate to have Collin in our Film Fellowship class. He has a strong eye for storytelling and a genuine curiosity about the world around him,” said Kalie Hans, chief content officer for Kansas City PBS. “After building a relationship with the Copper Boyz, Collin wanted to bring their work to a wider audience, reflecting our core mission of partnering with storytellers to highlight experiences across our community.”
Riggins is a photographer and filmmaker from Kansas City, Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies and Visual Arts from Princeton University. Riggins’ work is often inspired by his family’s histories across the Carolinas, Missouri and New York, as well as his ever-evolving sense of found family in these regions. Copper Boyz airs Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. on Kansas City PBS Channel 19.1, YouTube and the PBS App.