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Not Alone, a film about healing

We talk with director Heather Mosher about traumatic loss and her new film.
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On the set of Not Alone

Often the best films are made by people who have had shared experiences with the stories they are telling.

Filmmaker Heather Mosher knows this and has brought her own lived experience into the making of her latest film, Not Alone, which premieres this Sunday, October 31, 2021 at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. 

Not Alone follows the healing process of pro-climber and Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) guide Sarah Hueniken after the traumatic loss of her friend, Sonja Findlater.

“This is a film about learning to cope with loss and cope with trauma,” says Heather Mosher. “It could be anything – it could be a car crash or any kind of trauma and what that process looks like after an incident.”

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On the set of Not Alone

Mosher is no stranger to loss. 

“I've had my own experience with traumatic loss and I've kind of known since then that that's something that I need to learn more about,” says Mosher. “When you lose somebody suddenly in a way that you didn't think was possible, it changes your perspective on the whole world, and it never goes back.”

This poignant perspective shift is something Mosher highlights in her 44-minute film. Not Alone bears witness to a range of Hueniken’s vulnerable process – the pain, but also her growth and connectivity to others who have had similar experiences. 

“Once you've experienced some kind of traumatic loss, you start to realize how many other people have been affected by something similar,” says Mosher. “People open up to you and you can open up to them.”

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Sarah Hueniken climbing. Not Alone still

Part of Hueniken’s journey to open up and find support involves rekindling her love for ice and mixed climbing, a passion she shared with Findlater. Hueniken challenges herself mentally, physically and most of all – emotionally, by facing her fears and feelings.

Hueniken’s healing connection to others is part of the film’s arc that almost anyone can relate to in some way. Mosher is hopeful that the film can bring positive change to those on their own paths who might be struggling with finding healthy coping mechanisms.  

“There is a real power in film as a medium. The combination of visuals, audio, and music – it gives the story a lot of depth, and I think it can really make the audience feel something,” says Mosher. “i hope this film helps people understand a bit more about the experience of trauma, and the experience of grief.”

To buy tickets to the film, visit www.banffcentre.ca.

To watch more of Heather Mosher's work, visit www.vimeo.com/heathermosher.


Katharine Erwin

About the Author: Katharine Erwin

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