Light Shed Pictures released their newest film, Project Mina, directed by Jen Randall, earlier this week. Project Mina follows rock climber Mina Leslie-Wujastyk as she prepares for the 2013 Bouldering World Cup Series.
“Sometime towards the end of 2012, rock climber Mina Leslie-Wujastyk agreed to make a documentary with me. During January 2013, I set out on this project to try and understand what it takes to become a professional athlete, to turn your passion into your career. I realise now this was silly. There is no answer, no formula for making ‘it’ happen. Just like you or me, every athlete is on their own specific and unique path, and this is Mina’s.”
This film is an absolute must see and here is what we thought.
I had wanted to see this film since first watching its trailer online. There was something about it that just grabbed me. Perhaps it was the haunting sounds of Tim Rothesthal’s ‘How This Came To Be‘ or the story it was about to tell. It is in that moment, when watching a great trailer, that you almost want to turn it off so you don’t see too much.
Through the lens of Jen Randall, we are invited to share a place in time with our climber protagonist. We are presented with a glimpse of what it means to train and compete in the Word Cup circuit. Through crafted storytelling we become part of Team Mina, hoping for her to succeed. We are privileged to see genuine moments of success and failure along with an honesty between the subject and the director that is rare.
The strength of Project Mina lies in the details. First and foremost, the music in the film is clever. From two haunting songs from Tom Rothesthal that begin and end the story, we are presented with a myriad of moments that take on a life of their own through music. The film also depicts a number of beautifully crafted indoor and outdoor sequences. Randall was able to capture such vivid shots using the light and the brick of England in such a way that it made me want to take a plane over to England and start training myself.
Overall, this documentary short unpacks a beautifully crafted narrative that we all can relate to in a sport with so many ups and downs. At the end of it all, this film is not just about rock climbing, but it is about the individual pursuit of becoming better, whatever that ‘better’ may look like. I would highly recommend getting together with your friends and making a night out of watching this film. You will not be disappointed!
Project Mina can be downloaded at Reelhouse.org
Digital Download: $15.00 Running Time: 32 minutes
