Athletics Canada

Shot across training facilities in Canada, the film follows para-athletes at the edge of what they believed possible. We filmed vision-impaired, paraplegic, and amputee teens to deliver a growth mindset intervention, applying psychology research by Mueller & Dweck (1998) directly to the story.

People with growth mindsets interpret failure as proof they need to work harder; people with fixed mindsets attribute failure to unchangeable qualities. Research shows mindsets can shift through targeted messaging. This was an experiment in applied social psychology — taking scientific literature, designing a storyboard around it, and using television to deliver the intervention to millions of children.

Shot on RED cinema cameras with documentary-style direction, intercut with archival footage.