Cute Mutton Hunting Texan Starring in Award-Winning Short Documentary ‘Just Hold On’

Ten-year-old Marley MacDonald from Texas has given up on lamb chops because he’s outgrown the sport. But she was able to beat the best in her own time.

Marley’s achievements in the arena are documented in a short film. you just got strongerAt RodeoHouston in 2018, specifically the pursuit of gold buckles. MacDonald, just six years old, was on a sheep, grabbed a few handfuls of wool, and when the door opened and he caught the animal, he caught the 90 meters and won. excellent result

“Up to the wall!” shouted the excited announcer. “He did!”

“My heart skipped,” she tells Oscar winner Raika Zehtabci and Sam A. in Davis’ film, “It’s like I’m having a panic attack.”

“I think he likes the challenge,” says his grandfather in the cowboy hat, leaning against a wooden cane. “And he has a temperament that makes him do what he does. most he wants to do and when he wants to do it and that’s normal. We are proud of him,” he said.

With her curly hair, Marley could be a red-haired copy of Shirley Temple. He wowed the rodeo crowd with his win and his post-race interview where he said, “I trained with my dad.” By this he meant that he had to sit on all fours in the courtyard, while jumping on his father’s back, preparing for the races.

While the rodeo audience was listening, an interviewer asked Marley what he wanted to be when he grew up.

“A spy,” he replied without hesitation, and that the profession appealed to him because “this is where you have to fight for the world. [against] The bad guys you have to fight them.

The film, which lasts less than 7 minutes, enters the festival circuit after its screening at SXSW in 2020, where it won in the Texas Shorts category. It was recently screened at the HollyShorts Film Festival and previously screened at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Short Documentary.

Viewers understand that the title of the movie is not just to pamper the lamb. Marley MacDonald had to live her whole life. She was diagnosed with brain cancer in the womb and underwent surgery four days after giving birth. She spent the first two years of her life on chemotherapy, and luckily she is now in the care of long-term survivors.

“We always told him not to,” recalls Marley’s mother, Natalie, in the movie. “He’s a survivor and a warrior,” says Marley’s father, Kevin.

Zehtabci, Davis, and producer Mehrdad Sarlak filmed at various locations, including the family home with McDonald and an additional rodeo competition in which Marley participated. In 2020, the producers told the Houston Chronicle that they became interested in lamb hunting after learning about this on social media, which prompted them to watch a video of Marley’s win run at RodeoHouston. But at first they did not know the deeper dimensions of the young man’s experience.

“We didn’t know his story was more than that,” Zehtabci told the newspaper. “It’s worth sharing. it’s perfect”

Sarlacc represented a group of filmmakers at the HollyShorts Festival screening. After the short program, a question-answer session was held. you just got strongerHe called Zehtabci and Davis to the stage and called them “my dear, dear friends”. “They won an Academy Award for that a few years ago. period. end of punishment… After the academy opened, they called me and said, ‘Hey, we have a great story about this amazing little girl Marley MacDonald and you want to do it?’ they said. I said absolutely. “

During the Q&A session, Sarlacc called Marley’s mother, Natalie, to address her HollyShorts audience. He announced Marley’s retirement for the night and said, “It’s past bedtime in Texas.”

MacDonald added: “I want to say a huge thank you to HollyShorts for choosing our movie, and we’re very honored to do so. you just got stronger Be a part of this festival. We are very sorry that we could not be there in person. But Mehrdad, Raika and Sam have truly captured the essence of Marley’s journey and I hope you will be inspired by their courage and determination to face all life’s challenges.

Ground lamb competitors are typically 5-7 years old and don’t exceed 55 pounds, so Marley continued. He also discusses various career paths outside of espionage.

“I want to spy and fight for the world, but my identity has been revealed,” he told the Houston Chronicle. “Maybe I’ll be a singer or a professional basketball player.”