Unicorns can Skate.
Belgium, 2022. 2 young sisters live and play together, they help each other. Even though Hana went through serious surgery and had to relearn how to walk, they take the challenge up to go sketaboarding. With her speech computer Hana tells us what her sister means to her, and with her skateboard she shows us what skateboarding can for her do in her young life.
The sisterhood between Hannah and April shows that friendship, mutual care and support have nothing to do with differences in physical or mental abilities. It allows them to take on challenges together.
The sisters make us reimagine what it means to be a skateboarder in 2022. A time in which skateboarding finds itself in a very inclusive phase in its history, in which all kinds of styles, tricks, levels and backgrounds are accepted. The focus on what skateboarding means to these two young girls in terms of confidence, acceptance, and community during their weekly lessons with the social skateboarding project ‘Niña Skates’ reframes what it means to be a skateboarder in 2022 from a male dominated lifestyle to an inclusive activity with a focus on (mental) health benefits.Hannah and April’s participation in this ‘extreme sport’ builds an inspiring argument for inclusive participation in other areas of leisure. An emotional and beautiful tribute to mutual support.
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dries vanherwegenDirectorJugartistas, Here to Stay, Skate Spectrum
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dries vanherwegenWriterJugartistas, Here to Stay, Skate Spectrum
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dries vanherwegenProducerJugartistas, Here to Stay, Skate Spectrum
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Project Type:Documentary, Short
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Genres:documentary, drama, inspirational
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Runtime:8 minutes 6 seconds
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Completion Date:October 30, 2022
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Production Budget:1,500 EUR
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Country of Origin:Belgium
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Country of Filming:Belgium
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Language:Dutch
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
Dries Vanherwegen (Belgium, 1985) studied sociology and did academic research on social inequalities in art education, cultural and creative capital. Meanwhile he worked as a skateboard teacher, teacher and a personal assistant to differently abled people. Based in Barcelona he now draws on those experiences to make social documentaries mainly focusing on mental health, social and personal transitions, creativity, and identity within socially turbulent times.
Co-director and co-producer of Jugartistas (Barcelona, 2022) with OTOXO productions.
Director, producer of Here to Stay (Belgium, 2022) a series of shorts on the meaning of skateboarding in women's lives and Skate Spectrum (Belgium, 2022) a short documentary on a group of children on the autism spectrum who enter the world of skateboarding.