South Fulton horseman's legal fight featured in documentary
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"Brannu: The Urban Horseman" will be screened during the 21st annual Atlanta Documentary Film Festival. Photo: Courtesy of Brannu Media
It's been 10 years since Brandon "Brannu" Fulton's dream to open an equestrian farm in south Fulton County was derailed when he was accused of animal cruelty and seven of his horses were seized.
Why it matters: A new documentary chronicles Fulton's desire to share his love of horses with the community — and his long-running legal quest for compensation after the charges against him were dismissed.
The latest: "Brannu: The Urban Horseman" will be screened at the 21st annual Atlanta Documentary Film Festival. Tickets for the festival can be purchased online.
- Viewers can watch the film at 9:05pm Thursday, March 19, at Synchronicity Theatre in Midtown.
What they're saying: Independent filmmaker Adelin Gasana, who also produced "Bo Legs," which profiles influential Atlantan Marvin Arrington Sr., told Axios it took two and a half years to bring Fulton's story to the big screen.
- Gasana first learned about Fulton through a friend who saw him riding a horse on the Beltline.
- Gasana said the film tells the story of a "land owning horseman who's fighting tooth and nail to keep his land" and is sacrificing everything for the American dream.
- "That's why immigrants come here," he said. "That's the reason why people stay here and … live their life for this and for that to be taken away or challenged, I think a lot of people should resonate with that."
Flashback: Fulton, a Brooklyn native who later became a DJ, told Axios his grandfather introduced him to horses.
- In 2016, he purchased 27 acres of land at the corner of Camp Creek Parkway and Butner Road in formerly unincorporated Fulton County (the site is now in the city of South Fulton).
- His goal was to open a ranch that would allow people to decompress from life and connect with horses.
- "I'm trying to make it very accessible for those who want to do it, but whose family just can't find the time or the funding," he said.
Friction point: Months after he purchased the property, Fulton County charged Fulton with several local ordinance violations, according to Capital B Atlanta.
- County officials in 2017 charged him with several counts of animal cruelty and seized seven of his horses.
- Fulton was cleared of the charges, but his horses were never returned, the Atlanta Voice reports.
State of play: Fulton filed a federal lawsuit seeking compensation from the county, but the U.S. District Court dismissed the case.
- He appealed and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals eventually said Fulton could move ahead with his lawsuit.
The bottom line: Fulton said the case may have "slowed me down," but it hasn't deterred him from encouraging people to "get back to the land."
- "I just want people to just use the land and the horses as an instrumental tool to find themselves," he said.