• 2 months ago
A feature documentary film about the power of the bicycle to help save the planet. | dG1fNVJ0LTE5SEpGMjg
Transcript
00:00So, Chasing the Sun is a film that is based around an event called Chase the Sun and that's
00:15a cycling event which runs coast to coast from the Isle of Sheppey to the West Coast
00:21at Western Supermare and the idea for the riders is that they try and get there before
00:28sunset.
00:29We ride near the longest day of the year.
00:32As we talked about the project we realised that actually there was an opportunity to
00:37take the event and its route and use that as a way of exploring subjects and issues
00:45as we cross the country.
00:48I've done a few films about cycling now but I've never really got to grips with that mental
00:54health aspect of it so I was really excited by the prospect of doing something around
01:02that.
01:03You know, whenever I'm feeling low and down, this is kind of the place I come to, it's
01:11like a reset button for me.
01:13That's what I would really love to see, people have help with access if they need it, bike
01:18hire schemes, local community cycle organisations, whatever it is, but also just see the potential
01:25that actually once you get geared up, it really can change people's lives and that's what
01:32I love about the film, that mental health stuff really comes through, the being immersed
01:37in nature and freedom, particularly for our kids, our kids are so sedentary nowadays and
01:46if you can and potentially have support to make those tweaks, then I think it can be,
01:54yeah, I think I said game changer earlier and I really do think it can be.
01:59I think when you get out and about in the UK and you speak to people and you scratch
02:05the surface about people's feelings a little bit, you really do find out that there is
02:12a real need and a real desire for those things but people don't feel able to make those choices,
02:18they feel they have to use a car and that's a terrible situation.
02:23It's a massive tool for change that could make such a difference to so many lives.
02:29I hope that people will feel that there is a momentum building, pro-cycling momentum
02:38building in the UK now and that the film has been able to capture some of that but
02:45obviously there's a long way to go.
02:47The whole idea of cycling and cyclists has become so divisive and that's absolutely not
02:52what this film is about and it's not really what riding a bike every day is about in my
02:58experience so I think it's a really truthful, happy representation exactly as Michael says
03:05of where we're hopefully going, the little shoots of where we could be going to really
03:12make our country a better place.

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