ALEX LEWIS MOUNTAIN - 95mins UK 2023
In 2017 Simon began filming quadruple amputee Alex Lewis whose life had been transformed at the age of 33 when he contracted StrepA.
It had ravaged his body and, although surviving almost certain death,
he tragically lost all four of his limbs.
Undaunted by his sudden disability and determined to prove to himself, his son and the rest of the world that anything was possible, he took on the challenge of crossing Ethiopia's Simien Mountains in the world's first solar-powered, off-road, mobility hand-cycle.
Joined in his quest by Ethiopian double amputee Emebet Ale Dires,
local guides and the team of UK student engineers who had designed and built the hand-cycle from scratch, it was to become an international expedition like no other.
Following them into the UNESCO World Heritage wilderness Simon was to capture the drama of their remarkable journey and their daredevil attempt to be the first amputees to summit Ethiopia's highest mountain.
'What could possibly go wrong?' Alex Lewis
The resulting feature documentary has been screening at festivals around the world, winning Best Documentary at its World Premiere at the London Independent Film Festival, Best Feature Documentary at both the Swedish International Film Festival and Chicago International Indie Film Festival and voted by audiences as the Festival Winner at the Doc Screenings International Documentary Film Festival held in March 2024.
