Documentary about Shropshire woman Kelda Wood set for world premiere

The documentary film centres around the story of Shropshire charity founder, Kelda.

The festival, which runs from 21st to 24th November in Kendal will see adventurers, authors and filmmakers share their epic stories from around the world.

‘Breaking Waves - The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Kelda Wood’ is one of those epic stories.

Telling the moving account of one extremely resilient, determined, and incredible ‘ordinary’ woman, it’s as much a story about being human and accepting failure as it is about strength, courage and overcoming tragedy.

Breaking Waves sensitively explores - in Kelda’s own words, through a mix of intimate yet amusing and uplifting interviews, personal and commercial archive footage, and cinematic b-rolls - the monumental journey through a life which has thrown more than her fair share of misfortune her way.

The unbelievable highs, devastating lows, and her real and very raw emotions behind every decision in between, are all laid bare in an awe-inspiring tale as Kelda teaches us that “sometimes life is s**t, but that doesn’t mean we quit”. 

Kelda is the Founder of the charity Climbing Out, which supports people going through life changing injury, illness, or trauma. She’s also the first female Para-athlete to summit Mount Aconcagua, and a World Record holder as the first Para-rower to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She’s not one to be beaten by a life changing injury, or a life-threatening cancer diagnosis - and she has one hell of a story to tell.

Through the lifting and humbling eye-opening documentary that is ‘Breaking Waves’, Kelda bravely shares that story with the world in the hope it will inspire those who are stuck in a downward spiral and still searching for their answers, just as she was after a tragic accident ended her Olympic dreams.

The documentary is directed by Alice Rosso - an award-wining writer and director in both fictional development and factual filmmaking, who says:

“When Kelda asked me to tell her story, I felt an urgency and profound responsibility to share her message. This is a timely story, with millions of people around the world experiencing new levels of trauma every day. Moreover, Kelda’s journey showcases the vital connection between humans and nature. The outdoors plays a key role in her life and those of the people she supports, as it restores their bodies and souls, challenges them, and inspires them to accomplish things they thought were no longer within their reach. The Kendal Mountain Festival is the perfect event for Kelda’s incredible story to make its debut.”

Produced by Sienna Beckman of Emergence Films - an experienced producer committed to supporting female-identifying filmmakers and underrepresented storytellers around the world, and boasting cinematography (and executive produced) by Keith Partridge - a highly regarded filmmaker with a successful career spanning over 30 years and an International EMMY for Cinematography for his work on The Human Planet, this is set to be a breath-taking documentary not to be missed.