DMFF OFFICIAL SELECTION 2024
WHILE WE’re HERE
Short documentary | USA | 9 mins
Director: Dylan Wineland & Aaron McClintock
Summary: After the sudden loss of his longtime partner, dirt bike rider Aaron McClintock found that his bond with his bike took on a much deeper significance than he ever anticipated.
“‘While We’re Here’ holds a very special place in my heart. For obvious reasons and not so obvious ones. The process of making the film itself became the very thing it speaks of in a way. In the film I speak of the gratitude for my dirt bike, animals and loved ones being the foundation for learning to live with the deep grief of losing my dearest Chelsea.
While that very much holds true, what I didn’t see coming was the catharsis and healing that would come from attempting to talk about it and document it in some way. Over the course of a year and many long interviews, I realized how much I’d yet to face and how much I’d been numbing myself from feeling the hurt. So, by attempting to tell a story of healing, it became the healing I didn’t know I needed.
I’m very grateful to Dylan, Connor and the whole team for their patience and support with this film. Filmmaking is a passion for all of us, and it has certainly provided the guidance and power that’s revealed in the process of pursuing things of meaning. I hope the film is enjoyed and conveys the lessons that were learned in the making of it.” Aaron McClintock
"This project in particular was a very cathartic experience for the both of us. It touches on a very challenging topic.
To ask Aaron to open up about something so sensitive was extremely difficult. He is my bestfriend and I didn't want to poke at a very sensitive subject that I wasn't sure that he was healed from or not yet. But we moved forward with it anyway and Aaron had the courage and vulnerability to open up about this topic in the most genuine and authentic way he possibly could have.
In the process of making this film, healing began to take place. For me, it was incredible to see Aaron return to a better place of expectance and growth. It's a project we will never forget and we hope that it helps others out there who are going through something challenging." Dylan Wineland
Directed By: Aaron McClintock & Dylan Wineland
A Thinkless Studios Production
Director of Photography: Dylan Wineland
Assistant Camera: Connor Barnes, Bryton Malstrom, Samantha Cockayne
Drone Operator: Connor Barnes
Colorist: Jensen Vinca
Editor: Dylan Wineland
In Association with VAHNA, Wineland Pictures, and Born Rival
