Run, Jump, Paddle

The idea behind this film, funded by the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, was "to focus on the environmental aspect of what athletes experience during extreme sports," said Jennifer Berggren, the film’s director and 2014 ComArtSci grad.

With that in mind, the crew of students found their subjects: an ultra-runner making the journey from Florida to Michigan on foot; a water athlete and Michigan surf shop owner paddling the waves of Lake Huron in February; and first-time skydivers and the instructors who teach them how to jump.

"There is so much emotion and strength in these characters, and even though they never meet, they all relate on so many fronts," Berggren said. "Their stories of how they push past their physical boundaries and how they overcome the mental challenges – they are so powerful.”