Home > VIMFF 2026 > Hello Beautiful
While training for the Paris Olympics, professional climber Alannah Yip’s hair suddenly starts to fall out. Within weeks, she’s diagnosed with alopecia universalis, an autoimmune condition that causes complete hair loss. As Alannah grapples with the sudden change to her physical appearance and the fact that she might not qualify for Paris, she confronts deeply held assumptions about beauty, identity, and self-worth. Untangling herself from the constructs that have dominated her life, Alannah departs from the competitive climbing world she’s known since childhood, looks to nature to guide her toward a place of healing, and embarks on a journey to redefine her perceptions—of sport and of self.