Vasu Sojitra is not seeking to inspire you to feel good and his trauma doesn’t exist solely to benefit the education of others. He is seeking to inspire you to move mountains and take action. Skiing is the method but the real mountains are the “isms” that fail to support disabled communities, communities of color and so many others for whom access has not been a right. Through his personal journey, the attempt of a new objective, the famed line “The Skillet” on Mt. Moran and through over 40,000 “dips to Nirvana”, we hear his truth and begin to comprehend what it might look like to be in solidarity.
This film was part of Program 1, Summer Fest 2022, VIMFF 2022, VIMFF 2022 Tour and is no longer available for viewing.
This important film about intersectionality, representation and finding belonging in the outdoors, challenges the preconceived notions that some have about adventuring with a disability. Through his infectious, never-quit attitude, Vasu highlights that his outdoor pursuits are not about overcoming disability, but rather it’s about bringing awareness to the barriers faced by members of various marginalized communities so that the outdoors can be made more accessible for all. Through following his attempt to ski “The Skillet” on Mt Moran, Vasu shows us that no matter where you come from and what barriers you may have faced in the past, there is a place for everyone to play in the outdoors.
The VIMFF Jury is proud to present “Ascend: Reframing disability in the outdoors”, directed by Faith E. Briggs, with a Special Jury Mention.
— Ryan Wilkes
Faith is a creative producer and director passionate about sharing contemporary stories that widen the spectrum of representation and help us all see our own possibilities. Her favorite feelings are a tie between sun on skin and warm mud oozing between bare toes. She is grateful for the life changing knowledge of literary grandmothers such as Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Cade Bambara and many more.
