Meet the SXSW FIlmmakers #46: Timothy Wheeler Films One Last Attempt From A Swimming Legend

A legendary swimmer comes out of a thirty-year retirement to reattempt her greatest feat: swimming 103 miles non-stop from Cuba to Florida. Timothy Wheeler’s directorial debut “The Other Place,” follows Diana Nyad’s recent attempt at the impossible, and asks the viewer among all of their own successes and failures if anything is really impossible.

What it’s about: The Other Shore tracks legendary swimmer Diana Nyad’s lifetime vision
& her four harrowing attempts to swim non-stop from Cuba to Florida.

Tell Us About Yourself: I became interested in storytelling when I was working for a non-profit
in a neighborhood of Bogota, Colombia called El Cartucho with a
marginalized community of war victims. There were so many rich and
important stories that I knew had to be told but I hadn’t yet found my
medium to tell these stories. That’s when I went to UC Berkeley to get
formal training in journalism. I came out not only with a masters but a
new love for visual storytelling and documentary. Since then, I have
sailed with indigenous canoe builders from Dominica, stayed at the
palace of President Sirleaf in Liberia, and ripped through 50-foot waves
with the Sea Shepherds in Antarctica. When I think back on all the
places, more importantly on all the people, it has been a very fortunate
and adventurous ride. The Other Shore is my feature documentary
directorial debut and it really feels as though every subject from every
past project is here with me now. We are all part of the interconnected
journey.

What else do you want audiences to know about your film?
Even though this film details the herculean effort Diana has put into
accomplishing this swim dream, this is not a film about swimming. This
film is about commitment and drive to fulfill a dream at whatever cost.
This is one of those lucky films where you know you struck gold from the
onset. I always knew her dramatic past and well-documented
achievements would make a captivating film. But I never imagined that
in 2010, then 60-year-old Diana would ask me to document her coming out
of a 30-year-retirement from marathon swimming. She would attempt her
elusive world-record dream swim, 103 nonstop miles from Cuba to Florida.
Come on! I was stunned; and honored. I knew this would make an amazing
film regardless of the swim outcome. But I don’t think either of us
knew how powerful and profound the experience would be.

What was your biggest challenge in developing this project? There were so many challenges in making this film that it is almost
laughable to try and name one as the biggest. Visas, hurricanes,
sharks, jelly fish, funding, 400+ hours of footage, last minute flights
to Cuba, lives on hold for months, years, on end — take your pick!
These were all quite challenging. And Diana is also my aunt. So, I
have an even deeper connection to my film’s subject. I was always
concerned with her safety and her health during her swims. I’m watching
her in the water stroke after stroke: some painless and inspired, some
horrific and heartbreaking. It was really tough.

What would you like SXSW audiences to come away with after seeing your film?

What I love about this woman and this
story is that they both, inevitably, get people talking about relatable
and universal human experiences: success, failure, dreams,
disappointments, hope, grief, commitment, and obsession. Life is a
paradox in so many ways, and we see it everywhere: In our own lives and
in others. In nature even. I would like people to be thinking about
their own mortality, what really is most important to them, to how they
spend their precious time, and what they would be willing to give to
achieve their dreams. I would hope that people would be inspired by the film and her life to
live their dreams and accomplish their own personal goals and not give
up.

What would you like SXSW audiences to come away with after seeing your film? What I love about this woman and this
story is that they both, inevitably, get people talking about relatable
and universal human experiences: success, failure, dreams,
disappointments, hope, grief, commitment, and obsession. Life is a
paradox in so many ways, and we see it everywhere: In our own lives and
in others. In nature even. I would like people to be thinking about
their own mortality, what really is most important to them, to how they
spend their precious time, and what they would be willing to give to
achieve their dreams. I would hope that people would be inspired by the film and her life to
live their dreams and accomplish their own personal goals and not give
up.