Most of my projects begin with a question about how far I can push myself. This one began with a question about something I’ve always taken for granted: the freedom to get on my bike and head into the hills.
El Salvador’s reputation has long been shaped by violence. With this project, I wanted to look beyond that reputation and hear from the people who call it home. Through the stories of local riders, the film explores a mountain biking community and what the opportunity to ride means to the people within it.
It’s easy to think of a trail as a way to get from the top of a hill to the bottom. But access to that trail can mean time with friends, a connection to the landscape, and the chance to explore somewhere that once felt out of reach. Those are simple parts of riding that I rarely stop to think about.
At the heart of this project are the people sharing their own backyard, in their own words. I wanted to give those stories room, and to understand a little more about what it means to have the freedom to ride.
