Those who drive through Mullinville, Kansas, population 197, might not remember the town. But they probably remember the miles of metal sculptures that line U.S. 400 just outside of it.
Those totems and whirligigs are the work of eccentric folk artist M.T. Liggett. He's the subject of "It Started With A Horse," a documentary by Kansas City filmmaker Joshua Dubois. The documentary, filmed over the course of 20 years, aims to tell the "true story" of Liggett, who died in 2017.
Other media, Dubois said, never got past the eccentric "character" that Liggett put on.
"He was much much different than that," Dubois said. "We spent so much time with him that that character wore off on in the film and what emerged was this brilliant man who had experienced so many things in life."
The film won Best Kansas Feature at the Tallgrass Film Festival in 2022.
- Joshua Dubois, director, "It Started With A Horse"
"It Started With A Horse" will screen Friday, September 15, at the Kansas City Underground Film Festival, located at the Charlotte Street Foundation. Tickets are free. The film is also available on YouTube.
