Lydia Lassila and Katie Bender.
Katie Bender's documentary about aerial skier Lydia Lassila premiered last Tuesday.
The event was organised by Bender herself, a former teammate of Lassila.
"One of the biggest nightmares [of being independent] is not having a marketing team, doing events, managing the event sponsors", said Bender. "It takes up so much time".
In the making since 2012, The Will to Fly was rejected by Australian distributors as a niche film about aerial skiing.
After the film was locked, it was picked up by Hoyts this month.
Bender also had a preexisting relationship with Rebel Sport, and the two have now joined forces.
"Hoyts is now placing this film in all of the big malls around Australia that have Rebel stores and a Hoyts, so they can do cross-promotions together", Bender said.
The filmmaker has also enlisted KPMG, who "are taking my film, similar to the educational study guide, and are creating a leadership guide for all the Australian KPMG staff [with it]".
Financial support was rounded out by three private investors, plus Film Victoria, Tamara Group and the Lord Mayor Charitable Foundation
Bender is hoping that a recognisable face fronting the publicity campaign – a la That Sugar Film – will help its chances.
"We have 20 screens in the independent space. We were only trying for 12, and then it went to 20 and then we got picked up by Hoyts".
"At the end of its theatrical release, we're heading into the winter, and all the mountains around Australia are going to pick up the film for the winter season".
The film follows Lassila as she returns to the sport to try to defend her Olympic gold medal after becoming a mother, and Bender sees the upcoming Rio Games as the perfect context for the film's release.
"I want to keep it alive, whether its through cinema-on-demand or whatever, till August when the Olympics is on".
She cites Lucy Walker, director of The Crash Reel, as an inspiration, and is particularly fond of ESPN's 30 for 30 series – short-form documentaries delving into sporting history.
"We need that in Australia, and I think there is an opportunity through Stan and Netflix. I had this same conversation with Eddie McGuire when I went on Triple M. I think that would be huge in Australia".
Given we have a population traditionally considered sports-mad, it's a huge untapped space, argues Bender.
It's a patch the filmmaker is keen to continue exploring. "I'm passionate about sports stories, and particularly women in sport".
Read IF's chat with Bender about the film's inception here.