Meet the Makers: “8% No Limit” Lisa Lightbourn-Lay

“Meet the Makers” is a series of interviews to introduce the filmmakers of the 2016 Willson Oakville Film Festival. Answers are edited for clarity and space.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: LISA LIGHTBOURN-LAY is an award-winning documentary producer,director, editor, and cinematographer with over 20 years experience in live television, web, and documentary. As a filmmaker, her passion lies in telling stories that effect social change and give focus to issues and people who strive to make a difference.You can meet Lisa at the Willson Oakville Film Festival on Sunday, June 26, 2016 following the 1:30PM screening of her film, “8% No Limit”.

ABOUT THE FILM: “8% No Limit” tells the story of Rhonda-Marie Avery, who set out on a 20-day 885 km run on the Bruce Trail. Rhonda-Marie has 8% vision.

Q: How did you meet Rhonda-Marie and decide to make “8% No Limit”?

Lisa: I met Rhonda through a mutual friend and fellow racer, Kate Solovieva, who told me about an ultra runner (people who run more than the marathon distance of 42 kms) who was planning to run the 885 km Bruce Trail – and this runner is blind. Meeting Rhonda pushed me in the direction of making a film but what solidified it was reading a lecture Rhonda had written. She’s an immensely moving writer. There was something in almost every paragraph that I connected with or that made me cry. I knew I wanted her voice to be heard.

Q: There are many films that celebrate the power of the human spirit. What distinguishes “8% No Limit” from other inspirational documentaries?

Lisa: I didn’t want to be heavy-handed about disabilities. It was Rhonda’s nature that drew me in. There’s the idea of disability and then there’s Rhonda the ultra runner. Ultras embrace the struggle and the pain. The harder it is the more they want to do it. So I didn’t see the story as being about Rhonda having a disability; I saw it as her own story told by her own strong voice as an advocate.

Q: What do you want the audience to understand about Rhonda and her story?

Lisa: I don’t know if I want the audience to think only about Rhonda so much as I want them to understand that putting people in boxes limits them more than the disability. People find ways to overcome challenges but when they are labelled or put in a ‘box’ it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I recall something that Cody Gillies (former Bruce Trail record holder and guide runner on the Bruce) said to Rhonda – ‘once you think you’ve reached your limit and you’ve done this epic thing, you’ve already gone past it’.

Q: What impact do you want “8% No Limit” to have?

Lisa: I wanted to give a voice to someone who felt she didn’t have a platform. I hope the film opens doors for Rhonda and other-abled athletes everywhere. I wanted to go beyond ‘the choir’ and reach a broader audience and I knew a broad audience would respond to Rhonda. She’s a powerful speaker and she lives the idea of no limits every day and in all of her ultra challenges. Her next challenge is to race a double anvil (a double triathlon) in Florida, March of 2017.

Q: What was the hardest part of making this film?

Lisa: It was hard in a number of ways. Of course the 20-day shoot on the road was taxing but I’m used to that. The hardest part was – during a run, Rhonda is ‘in the bubble’. As an ultra runner she’s so focussed on the run that she’s barely aware of anything else. For me as a filmmaker trying to engage the person I’m filming, it was hard to get through Rhonda’s bubble. I didn’t want to interfere with her concentration but I needed to engage her. I wanted to make sure I told her story right and I didn’t want to misrepresent it, so I needed to connect with her. The Bruce Trail is more arduous and treacherous than many people realise. It demands your focus.

Q: What was the easiest part of making this film?

Lisa: Telling Rhonda’s story. Her voice is so powerful. I didn’t want this to just be a journey documentary or just another running film. I wanted people to think of it as looking into someone’s diary – something very personal. I wanted it to be her words that take us through her experience.

Q: What else do you want people to know about this film?

Lisa: To never make assumptions about people; to not limit them with labels and boxes. If there are limits, they’re meant to be looked past and beyond.

Film website for “8% No Limit”.

Interview by Cathleen MacDonald
Cathleen MacDonald is a writer and filmmaker.