Australian/Italian co-production Sand Roads is set to premiere at the Italian Film Festival from October 1.
In 2010, best friends Valerio De Simoni, Jamie Kenyon and Kris ‘Ted’ Davant embark on the adventure of a lifetime: a 50,000km quad bike journey across three continents to break a Guinness World Record while fundraising to combat global poverty. Valerio keeps a diary and they carry a video camera, vowing to document everything, no matter what.
Starting in Istanbul, they cross Europe to Sicily and Tunisia, then traverse East Africa to Malawi. It is a young man’s dream: dancing with glee atop the Sahara, embracing new cultures, making friends in unlikely places and creating memories against everchanging, exquisite landscapes. This is their rite of passage to adulthood, and they are intent on testing their limits. The road obliges, becoming tough and unforgiving, fraught with breakdowns, exhaustion and personal tensions.
In the chaos of Africa, Valerio struggles to maintain his optimism and longs for the journey to end. He confides in his diary. Breakdowns and rising tensions lead to clashes, but the camera keeps rolling. Their disagreements foreshadow a far darker time. Before words can be retracted and friendships fully mended, a horrific accident leaves Valerio fighting for his life in a Malawi hospital.
Sixteen years later, Jamie and Ted reflect on the odyssey that gave them the world but stole their friend, and how in 2011 they returned to complete the journey and claim the world record for all three of them. Vittoria, Valerio’s mother, speaks of her devastating heartbreak and determination to keep his memory alive with positivity. . Sand Roads is a film of adventure, surprise, compassion and honesty, exploring the endless ripples of the moments that shape our lives.
Sand Roads is made from over 200 hours of remarkable footage recorded by Jamie, Ted and Valerio during their 2010 Guinness World Record expedition and the return journey by Jamie and Ted in 2011. They filmed on early generation Go Pros and semi- professional mini-cams.
In 2024, additional contemporary footage and reflections were filmed by Hugh Miller on an Alexa’s in stark confessional spoken-to-camera interviews giving real contrast in both visual and stylistic approach and engendering in these contradictions a strong emotional result.
Find out where you can catch Sand Roads here.
If you enjoy Cinema Australia as much as I loved publishing it, please consider supporting Cinema Australia’s commitment to the Australian screen industry via a donation below.
I strive to shine a light on Australian movies, giving voice to emerging talent and established artists.
This important work is made possible through the support of Cinema Australia readers.
Without corporate interests or paywalls, Cinema Australia is committed to remaining free to read, watch and listen to, always.
If you can, please consider making a contribution. It takes less than a minute, and your support will make a significant impact in sustaining Cinema Australia as the much-loved publication that it is.
Thank you.
Matthew Eeles
Founder and Editor.Make a donation here.
