After the Storm
Last weekend I was delighted to be invited to a private screening of ‘After the Storm’ here in Innerleithen. This short film was directed by Andy McCandlish and Andy McKenna. It tells the story of Aneela McKenna, a Scottish mountain biker who has Pakistani heritage, and in particular her struggle against discrimination and racism. The McKenna’s are Tweed Valley locals, now living in Clovenfords and formerly in Innerleithen (I think the Metropolitan lifestyle of Innerleithen was getting too much). They are both Mountain Biking enthusiasts, putting it mildly, and use their love of the sport to enrich their life and health - physical and mental. I’ve known of Aneela and Andy for years but only met them earlier this year, and feel fortunate to now call them friends. Andy has been dealt the frankly utterly shite blow of Multiple Sclerosis and to see how he combats it with humour, honesty and a healthy belief in the power of the outdoors is, to put it mildly, extremely humbling. Follow him @stokedonms if you don’t already.
“Ride Over Racism”
Back to the film, the message from Aneela about how she was mistreated in both her school days and work environment comes across very strongly. Words have meaning and impact and we can’t ignore discrimination and racism any more - it has zero place in Scotland. Equally powerful was how Aneela found the way to navigate through this storm - by getting out on her bike in the amazing Scottish landscape of the Outer Hebrides. One sequence I found particularly affecting was an intimate, candlelight discussion with Aneela filmed in Stanhope Bothy here in Peeblesshire. To see this woman who anyone who meets her would surely describe as confident, resilient and, frankly, bad ass appear so vulnerable was extremely moving. I think Aneela and the two Andys should be so proud of this film and it’s important message. It also helps that it has been so well shot - from the sweeping MTB shots of The Hebrides and Upper Tweeddale to intimate close ups and quirky illustrations. The film has been touring the outdoor festivals around the world for almost a year and will soon become publicly available, I’ll share some details as soon as it does as you need to see it. For now here is the trailer to whet your appetite.
