Between Two Wheels

Director Statement

I am drawn to stories about how people endure hardship and what they hold onto to stay grounded. Twenty-five years ago, our family received a phone call that would change the course of my uncle Michael’s life. Paralysed in an accident, he now lives a largely solitary existence, navigating a world that moves at a very different pace. Yet despite everything, Michael has remained deeply connected to the sport that changed his life, finding solace in rebuilding motorbikes with quiet dedication.

This film explores the tension between speed and stillness through the life of a man forced to reinvent himself. I wanted to portray my uncle’s world with honesty and tenderness, capturing the rhythms of his daily life without spectacle. By spending time in the intimacy of his environment, moments began to emerge that felt both fragile and cathartic; glimpses of resilience in a life that often feels frozen in time.

This film almost got shelved to gather dust and never be finished. However, in April 2025, a two-tonne boulder fell onto the left side of my body whilst mountaineering in New Zealand, leaving me with a broken humerus and severely torn ligament in my leg. For the first time in my life, I was handed a glimpse into the pain, isolation and slowness of my uncle's hardship every day. It was in this state of healing and deep rest on the other side of the world that I found a deep appreciation for self-discovery and a rekindled love for creative projects. I started this project before my injury, and after I healed, I returned to the UK with a fire to finish it. 

Between Two Wheels also became a shared process between nephew and uncle. Our collaboration created a space built on trust, curiosity, and mutual vulnerability. In that space, my uncle's presence in front of the camera and my own search as a filmmaker began to mirror one another. What emerged was not only a film, but a deeply personal act of connection; one that reshaped how I understand resilience, vulnerability, and the quiet ways people continue to move forward.

My goal with this film is to reshape our outlook on vulnerability. I hope it leads to an expression and understanding that helps people feel seen in challenging times.

About the Director

Ryan is an award-winning cinematographer focused on telling impactful human stories. He is a versatile filmmaker whose style is driven by curiosity to combine natural light with shape and movement to create compelling, honest visuals that capture a sense of time, place and rich storytelling.

His work has taken him to many corners of the world, from sharing tea with Bedouin tribesmen in Jordan to documenting scientists uncovering new biodiverse DNA in the jungle soils of Costa Rica.


He enjoys working with people, places, and circumstances that cultivate a barrier-down approach to filmmaking, where stillness promotes free thinking, enabling fluidity and creative autonomy to thrive, both behind and in front of the lens.