Stampede

Unfolding over the course of a day, "Stampede" turns its attention to visitors at the event. We follow them through the entrance line, onto rides and standing for the national anthem. Crowds crunch popcorn, eat giant turkey legs and horses are tenderly groomed—another day at the fair. The film focuses on faces and gestures as people wait absentmindedly, tuning out the noise. Inward looking with subtle humour, these portraits reveal the quietness at the heart of the crowd, and as the sun goes down a sense of exhaustion rises.