7.6 /10 1 Votes
70% Rotten Tomatoes Starring Lydia Lassila Directors Katie Bender, Leo Baker Music by Thomas Rouch Cinematography Leo Baker | 8.3/10 IMDb Produced by Katie Bender Production
company Binding Films Running time 1h 39m Producer Katie Bender Editors Katie Bender, Leo Baker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Directed by Leo Baker & Katie Bender Edited by Jane Usher
Ellen Dimler Release date 8 March 2016 (2016-03-08) Similar Before the Streets, The Ruins, The Last Time I Saw Richard, The Space Between, Anatomy of Violence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The will to fly full trailer
The Will To Fly is a 2016 feature documentary film about the Australian Olympic freestyle skier gold medalist Lydia Lassila.
Contents
The film was produced by Katie Bender who co-directed the film with her partner Leo Baker. The film made its Australian premiere in Melbourne on International Women's Day (8 March), 2016 followed by a theatrical release where it was positively received by critics.
Synopsis
The Will to Fly is the story of Olympic Champion Lydia Lassila who, as a young mum and against all the odds competing in one of the world's most dangerous sports, dares to reach for an almost impossible dream.
The film takes us on a journey through the genesis of Lydia’s tenacity; from the missed opportunities with her first love, gymnastics, to her transition into an aerial skiing career of extreme highs and lows in the world’s most competitive and decorated team. After winning the gold medal at her third Olympic games in 2010, Lydia became a mother. She then returned to aerial skiing with the intent of becoming the first woman to perform the sport's most complex acrobatic manoeuvre; an ambitious benchmark she set for herself when she first discovered the sport, and one that had only ever been achieved by male aerialists before her.
The film chronicles Lydia’s lifelong pursuit to reach personal fulfilment by achieving her true potential, on the world stage at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Awards
Winner of Best World Documentary (tied / shared win with the film Sled Dogs) at the 2016 Whistler Film Festival
Winner of Best Mountain Culture Film at the 2016 Whistler Film Festival