Supplied: Mariah Braun

By Abby Zieverink

Telus story hive program

Grande Prairie filmmaker captures journey and resiliency of local woman

Jan 25, 2022 | 1:20 PM

A Grande Prairie director and producer is gearing up for the virtual screening of her short documentary Able, a film showcasing the resiliency of a local woman.

In January 2021, Mariah Braun received $20,000 in funding from the TELUS STORYHIVE project. Now, a year later, a screening of her documentary, Able will be taking place virtually, February 3.

Able is the story of local woman Kiesha Mastrodimos, who was in a car crash with a moose seven years ago. Kiesha, who was 17 at the time, was left paralyzed from the chest down.

The short documentary captures Kieshas’s story of resilience and the impact she has had and continues to have in her local community and beyond.

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Over the past year, Braun says she was able to not only grow a close relationship with Kiesha but was also able to go through her own journey, gaining a deeper understanding of challenges faced by the disabled community in Grande Prairie.

“As able body crew members we got to experience a wheelchair throughout the process, we got to spend some time in a wheelchair doing our daily tasks to see how that would feel.”

Braun adds being able to help elevate Kiesha’s voice through her documentary is “tremendously rewarding.”

“Kiesha and I met because I was being named a hero in our community, so I found Kiesha through her story online,” said Braun.

“I really gravitated towards Kiesha and started the conversation, opened the lines of communication, and decided to get this story out, get her story of resilience out.”

She hopes Kiesha’s resiliency and journey captured in Able will inspire others.

“Maybe Kiesha’s challenges and barriers are different than your own, but maybe you can relate to her story in the struggles you might have in your own life,” she suggested.

“It’s just that story of resilience that I think a lot of us are craving and really needing and I think this virtual screening can give people a look into that resilience and maybe use it in their own life.”

Able screens virtually on February 3, at 7:30 p.m MST.

A Q&A panel will follow the screening. Participants will be able to ask questions over Zoom with Mastrodimos, Braun, Mieke De Groot, Regional Coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury Alberta, and Dave McGregor, Producer and Director of Photography for Able.

A link to get free tickets can be found here.