Adrenaline rush

THE new documentary Finding The Line features spectacular footage of Olympic champion Anna Segal and her younger sister Natalie on a ski adventure in the mountains of France, America, Canada and Australia.

But the one-hour documentary also has an important message for people in all walks of life about combating fear.

Finding The Line has its world premiere in Melbourne on Melbourne on May 29, followed by screenings in Canberra and Sydney and another Melbourne screening on June 1. All screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the Segal sisters, who are the film’s co-producers.

The film will be screened at film festivals in the United States and Europe later this year.

Anna is well known as an X Games gold medalist and FIS world champion. She represented Australia in the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in 2014 where she won a bronze medal in the freestyle slopestyle.

Natalie competed until 2016 in freeride skiing events, including the Freeride and Freeskiing World Tours. For the past four years she has been involved in several action-sports films as both an athlete and a producer, including Shades of Winter (2014) and My House Pictures (2016).

“I have been working on Finding The Line for the past three years and there’s probably another year with promoting it,” Natalie told The AJN.

“People often watch extreme sports and think that the athletes have no fear, whereas in reality it can be the total opposite.”

Natalie said that she and Anna reveal their personal fears in Finding The Line.

“We talk about the different types of fear that surface, whether mental such as the fear of failure or more physical where you face harm,” she said. “We use the different locations to explore those fears.

“Everyone has to deal with fear, whether it’s a job interview or speaking in public instead of skiing down a mountain.

“In the film we discuss how the fears and risks we take in the mountains cross over into everyday life.

“While Anna and I both love skiing and participating as athletes, we wanted to go beyond that and maybe inspire people to push themselves, even if they are not skiers or extreme sports enthusiasts.”

Finding The Line features spectacular photography directed by adventure filmmaker Bjarne Salen, who hiked up the mountains with the sisters to capture them in close-up action.

“In Chamonioux we were 1000 metres or 1500 metres up the mountain and Bjarne would be with us filming on his large camera and also taking aerial footage with a drone,” said Natalie.

The film features guest appearances from legendary skiers Mike Douglas and Seth Morrison as well as Freeride World Tour champion Lorraine Huber and Italian skier Julie Minagro.

“We also feature people involved in the ski industry such as mountain guides and those involved in search and rescue talking about risk,” said Natalie.

“And we interviewed the psychologist who worked with Anna in the lead-up to her competing at the Winter Olympics to give an insight into the way she and other athletes feel fear.”

The film’s production team includes executive producer Fran Derham (First Love) and AFI nominated editor Sara Edwards.

Anna is now living in Whistler, Canada while Natalie spends winters in the French ski resort of Chamonix, near Mont Blanc.

“We try to come home to Melbourne every year to see out families.”

Natalie and Anna were born into a skiing family and took to the slopes from a very young age as children.

“Mum was a keen skier from a young age and Dad was into cross country skiing and we often went to Mount Buller,” said Natalie. “At school skiing was the major sport that we did. My latest passion is ski mountaineering – I really like the idea of exploring new places.”

DANNY GOCS

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