Film by Max Brinnich: "Reborn on Water" - how Weronika Lato fought her way back onto the water after bone cancer

Never windsurfing again, possibly not even walking properly: Weronika Lato was facing an uncertain future. The windsurfer from Poland had survived an aggressive form of bone cancer and undergone an operation that cost her almost half of her pelvis. The ocean, once her element, seemed unattainable. The board she had spent years on seemed like a relic from another life. The film "Reborn on Water" by ex-freestyler Max Brinnich documents this way back without relying on the usual narratives of sporting triumph. Following its premiere in Warsaw in mid-February, the 13-minute documentary can now be viewed online.

The production was made entirely through personal commitment, without external funding. Instead of performance and success, the film focuses on other themes: vulnerability, the fragile process of reconstruction and the question of how to regain trust in your own body when it has let you down.

Small steps and mental feats of strength

Instead of sporting action, the camera shows the small steps, the setbacks, the moments of doubt. Weronika Lato has to get to know her body all over again, re-learning movements that used to be taken for granted. The longed-for return to the board means not only physical rehabilitation, but also a mental feat of strength. The film documents this process without sugarcoating it. It shows an athlete who is confronted with imperfection, who has to accept that her body is no longer the same. In addition to Weronika Lato, close friends, family and doctors also have their say and describe how they experienced the journey.

An interview about the film is in preparation - soon here on surf-magazin.de!

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