THE COWBOY CAPITAL
THE COWBOY CAPITAL
The Cowboy Capital (Stolica Kowbojów) is an emotional documentary narrated by the residents of Bandera, Texas—the world’s cowboy capital.
The documentary tells the story of nostalgia for the days of the Old West. The characters weave a tale of cowboy culture, their attachment to life in rural Texas, enduring values that guide their lives, the history of Bandera, and the uniqueness of living close to nature.
Founded in 1854 by settlers from Silesia, the town of Bandera, Texas, was located at the beginning of the Great Western Cattle Drive Trail. The residents are still proud of their Polish heritage. Bandera’s sister city is Strzelce Opolskie in Poland. This small town in the heart of Texas has been a popular tourist destination for nearly a century, attracting visitors from all over the world who want to experience life like in the Old West, because, as many people say, everyone has a little bit of the cowboy spirit inside them.
In 2019, I was gathering material for a book about Texas, and that’s how I discovered this place on the map. It became the starting point for the film The Cowboy Capital. Four years later, together with local historian Roy Dugosh—a native of Bandera and a descendant of the first Polish settlers—and talented filmmaker Dakota Wortman, a graduate of The Art Institute of San Antonio, we decided to capture the soul of Bandera, the world’s cowboy capital.
The film premiered on July 20, 2023, at one of the most famous Honky Tonk bars in Texas, the 11TH Street Cowboy Bar in Bandera. Over 300 local residents attended the event. The film’s popularity is so high that screenings are regularly held in Bandera and surrounding areas (in libraries, cultural centers, and tourist ranches).
In Poland, the film was presented in October 2023 during a closed screening for the media at the Kinogram cinema (Fabryka Norblina) and at two screenings in Strzelce Opolskie.
So far, our film has been featured at the following festivals:
- Wild West Film Festival (St. Vacaville, USA)
- Festiwal Siły Marzeń (Warsaw, Poland)
- WAPI – II Otwocki Festiwal Filmów Podróżniczych (Otwock, Poland)
- Taste of Polonia (Chicago, USA)
- XVIII Festiwal Polonijny Losy Polaków (Warsaw, Poland)
- 51st Annual ICVM CROWN AWARDS (Franklin / Nashville, USA)
- KICK OFF International Film Festival (Warsaw, Poland) – Top 5
- International Polish Film Festival (Warsaw, Poland) – Finalist
- 20th New York Polish Film Festival (New York, USA)
- 57th WorldFest – Houston International Film Festival 2024 (Houston, USA)
- 43rd Piknick Country in Mrągowo (Mrągowo, Poland)
- 30th San Antonio Film Festival (San Antonio, USA)
- Poznan Film Review (Poznań, Poland)
- 19th Austin Polish Film Festival (Austin, USA)
Awards:
- GRAND PRIX at the XVIII Festiwal Polonijny Losy Polaków (Warsaw, Poland)
- 57th WorldFest – Houston International Film Festival 2024 – Golden Remi Award (Houston, USA)
More about the movie:
www.thecowboycapitalfilm.owczarskiartur.pl
Directed and Produced by: Artur Owczarski
Casting: Roy Dugosh
Cinematography, Editing, Sound, and Music: Dakota Wortman
