These South Sound women paddled 70 miles from Tacoma to Port Townsend with a film crew
Vester Media and Our World Films are releasing a new film this spring.
The documentary is called “Stand Up” and it follows two women as they stand-up paddleboard 70 miles in 48 hours as part of the Seventy48 race.
“The two South Sound paddle boarders, Jeannine Mackie and Erica Lichty endure in a grueling test of endurance from Tacoma to Port Townsend through unpredictable weather using only human power. No motors, no supports, no wind power. These two women find their strength in a sea of challenges,” according to the Vester Media press release.
The women had a 365 degree camera attached to each of their boards as well as a small boat with a production crew that followed them during the race.
Originally the plan for the documentary was to spotlight community races and charity fundraising, according Carly Vester, who is a Gateway columnist and Tacoma filmmaker of Vester Media.
“With Jeannine and Erica together, their story just blossomed into something so much bigger than the race itself. It started as one thing and then became about women empowerment and women in the outdoors,” Vester said.
Mackie and Lichty fundraised about $2,500 for the YWCA in Tacoma.
They wanted to use the race as platform to talk about women empowerment but also to fundraise for it, according to Vester.
The screening tour
Vester Media and Our World Films put together an in-person screening tour across the South Puget Sound and Oregon running from May through August of 2022. The first location on the tour was Heritage Distilling Company in Gig Harbor, May 5.
The next screening is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Surf Ballard, 6300 Seaview Ave. NW in Seattle. The full schedule for the screening tour can be found at www.standupfilm.com.
“We put intention into making sure these were not random locations,” Vester said.
Locations for the screening tour were chosen based on local ties, and ones that match the spirit of the film. Some of the other locations include surf shops, surf camps, or stores that enable people to gear up for the outdoors.
At each screening, filmmakers will be asking for donations to support the New Phoebe House Association, a Tacoma nonprofit that supports women facing housing challenges, according to the press release. Attendees will also see Mackie and Lichty at all screenings.
Viewers can expect “Stand Up” to be more about the women’s personal journey than about the actual race. It shows them paddle 70 miles while they talk about very difficult, personal topics that include empowerment, mental and physical health and community through water sports, according to Vester.
Immediately following each screening, a question and answer discussion will be held with attendees and staff from Vester Media and Our World Films. Depending on the location, screenings may have a food and drink component, an outdoor component, or an open shop component.
“When people watch ‘Stand Up’ I hope they take away a couple of messages. One is the core message that we need to be a little more comfortable with being uncomfortable. And maybe we would be a better society for that. And another is I hope there is a safe space created where we can have discussions about women empowerment and bring together more of a community that is supportive towards that. This film is bigger than just a documentary and I hope it creates some discussion with it,” Vester said.
Vester and her husband will be paddling the race this June after watching Mackie and Lichty do it last year.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of Our World Films.
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
