Nelson Filmmakers hit the Big Leagues with release of The Search For Freedom
By Eva Brownstein
Nelsonites Jon Long and Mike Parenteau are hitting the big leagues with their new documentary feature, The Search For Freedom.
The documentary, which is being distributed worldwide by Universal Pictures, tells “a story told through the eyes of a group of people who helped create a cultural phenomenon.”
The phenomenon in question: A growing interest in action sports as a means of “living in the moment and doing what makes us feel most alive”.
Through the lens of some of the world’s most extreme athletes, including skateboard legend Tony Hawk, pro surfer Kelly Slater, motorcycle trickster Robbie Maddison and free skier Shane McConkey, The Search for Freedom explores the human stories of the people who fueled the action sports revolution.
“Being from Nelson helped me relate to the athletes,” said Parenteau, the 23-year-old L.V. Rogers grad who co-produced, edited and directed photography for the 90-minute feature.
The Search for Freedom isn’t Parenteau’s first time behind the camera lens. His website reveals several trips into the industry with films on Whitewater, City of Nelson and a special flick called, Unfollow.
“I started filming mountain biking in my backyard,” said Parenteau of his humble beginnings as a filmmaker.
“Living in Nelson I was lucky enough to be exposed to world-class athletes and filmmakers. It’s incredible how many creative people our small town can pump out”.
Director/producer Jon Long (IMAX Extreme) has called Nelson home for the past 15 years.
“Jon was really a mentor for me,” said Parenteau. “When he offered me the opportunity to be involved in his passion project I jumped on it.”
“Many of the ski segments are filmed at Baldface Lodge,” continued Parenteau. “We captured a lot of biking footage in the Selkirk mountains. Nelson has access to world class terrain”.
When Long began research for the film over ten years ago he had intended to explore the personal stories behind the growing action sports movement.
“I hadn’t initially planned on pursuing the theme of freedom in this film until I had already interviewed dozens of people,” said Long.
“The concept of freedom kept on coming up again and again with so many of them that I wanted to look deeper into what that really meant.”
“The pursuit of freedom is inextricably tied to the pursuit of happiness,” concluded Long after nearly two years of production.
Whether freedom seekers search out that state of grace by throwing themselves off peaks in squirrel suits, or tending to their vegetable patches, both Long and Parenteau agree that freedom lies in “living in the moment”.
The documentary premieres Friday (April 24th) at the Newport Beach Film Festival in California.
Freedom seekers, or those simply interested in an “immersive, visceral, visual experience” stay tuned for the premiere date in Nelson.
However, a sneak peak of the documentary can be seen in the The Search For Freedom trailer.
For the full screening of the documentary, Parenteau promises a showing possibly in June back in Nelson.
