Justin Schwanke is a rider and filmmaker from Canada, and he recently launched 6 documentary-style films covering several unique stories, including those in Women’s BMX. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you definitely should, it was beautifully done and sheds a light on the more challenging times of when Women’s BMX was just peaking through the clouds. Today, we’re taking a deeper dive into Justin’s process in the making of this project, Full Bloom.
Justin, what motivated you to cover women’s BMX in this capacity?
Project Spoke is a deep dive into BMX culture with the goal of elevating storytelling in our sport. It includes 6 documentaries and 1 riding video. The women’s BMX documentary is titled, “Full Bloom.” When planning the films in late 2019, I wanted to ensure diversity in both the subject matter and the riders featured. To avoid the project being entirely male-focused, I needed a story about women in BMX. I’ve also been personally inspired by the amount of progression occurring in women’s BMX in recent years.
Women’s BMX is not only niche but pretty much non-existent in Canada, what was it like to meet all these women from different facets of the world?
The female freestyle BMX scene in Canada is indeed small, with many large cities lacking female riders. I’m not sure why that is. I’d be curious to hear your view on that.
It was awesome meeting so many different people while working on this project. In the women’s documentary, there are riders represented from the US, Canada, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Japan, and China. BMX is global, yet our media predominantly highlights American riders. When possible, I tried to include non-US riders in the project. For example, the interviews with Estrella Suarez and Anahi Valentina in Ecuador bring a different perspective to the film. Estrella speaks with a passionate, revolutionary type of spirit. Anahi, I feel, represents the collectivist side of BMX. She is the ultimate cheerleader for her fellow riders.
From our conversation we know that the story of the documentary changed quite a bit, could you go into detail on what the goal was initially and what it ended up being about?
To be honest, when I began filming Project Spoke in January 2020, the women’s documentary lacked a clear story arc. By March, the pandemic forced me to pause filming and return home. This allowed me to review the footage, refine the narrative, and pick up filming at a later date.
My new concept was to document one rider’s experience at a professional BMX contest: Preparation, practice, qualifying, finals, awards, processing, etc. I could then integrate various topics from other female riders. For a couple of months, I tried to find a rider to be the featured subject. I even had a bunch of people helping me with communications. In short, nobody would agree to it. Without getting into the background details or speculating as to why this was the case, I eventually abandoned the idea.
After reviewing the footage again, I was inspired by the passion of the amateur riders. The tagline for Project Spoke is “Every rider has a story,” highlighting that both professional and amateur riders have valuable experiences worth sharing. That reminder led me to document the everyday experiences of female riders: preparing to ride, showing up to the skatepark, riding, interacting with others, overcoming challenges, dealing with injuries, and building community. I then incorporated relevant topics and personal stories shared by the women.
I also want to acknowledge my wife’s contribution. Not only did she support me throughout the project, but she also played a crucial role in writing and developing the stories for all the documentaries. Her perspective was especially valuable for the women’s documentary.
What do you hope to achieve with this doc?
Empathy is a core theme of this documentary. I hope it provides insight into the challenges women face in BMX and society, fostering greater support. I hope the film also inspires people to start or continue riding, build community, and persevere in their BMX journey.
Which story was the most striking for you?
Without giving too much away, Jessica Ausec and Rose Huston’s experiences with bullying in BMX were particularly striking. Their stories reveal the impact of toxic masculinity in the sport. While there have been positive changes over recent years, there is still significant work to be done.
Where can our followers find your doc?
The women in BMX documentary, along with six other Project Spoke films, are available at www.projectspoke.com. There is a digital download / streaming option, and a limited number of DVDs.
Thanks or shoutouts?
Thank you to the women who participated in the film: Nina Buitrago, Rose Huston, Jessica Ausec, Ryan Myers, Kate Davis, Sarah Lampert, Anahi Valentina, Estrella Suarez, Thalia Tenesaca, Kelly Matamoros, Jesse Gregory, Angie Marino, Melania Salazar, Beatrice Trang, Melissa Buckley, Brittany Campbell, Brittny Neuville, Patricia Pacheco, and Alexis Jorden. The film also features archive footage of Lizsurley Villegas Serna, Queen Saray Villegas Serna, Kaci Halahan, Allie Wolfe, Sonny Moreno, Rena Shirai, Bethany Hedrick, Amanda O’Neill, Qian Zheng, and Sibei Sun.
Thanks to everyone who purchased the films or attended the premieres. Thanks to the Edmonton Arts Council and Our BMX for supporting the project.
Visit www.projectspoke.com to access the films.
