From an intimate lens, learn how three pioneering women — a highliner, climber, and kayaker — are defying the odds in male-dominated spaces.
HOOD RIVER — Precariously tiptoeing along an inch-wide, tensioned band, suspended hundreds of feet in the air, Czech daredevil Desina Krásná highlines to find calm; traversing steep boulders and cliffs across India, eager mountaineer Kavitha Mohan climbs to challenge her country’s cultural norms; barreling through gnarly Ecuadorian whitewater, teenage kayaker Rafaela Sanchez Castillo paddles to compete.
A feature-length expansion of an eponymous 2025 anthology, the documentary “Flow” intimately spotlights three pioneering women around the world as they carve their own paths in extreme adventure sports.
Presented by co-producers Krásná and Hood River-based kayaker Alena Rainsberry, the film made its worldwide debut at Columbia Center for the Arts on June 3, kicking off a pre-festival screening tour across the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.
Early inspiration for the project took hold in Squamish, B.C., approximately 40 miles north of Vancouver, where Krásná and Rainsberry lived in a tiny studio apartment, researching American cultural studies and wildlife biology, respectively, while enjoying the area’s breathtaking beauty.
The duo recognized a shocking lack of text written on kayaking or highlining (an extreme version of slacklining); according to Krásná, there were precisely zero English-language memoirs from the perspective of a highliner.
Both avid readers, they decided to take matters into their own hands, assembling and co-editing stories penned by 19 women across three male-dominated adventure sports. They approached established authors, individuals they personally admired, and others they discovered through social media, culminating in the 2025 release “Flow: Women’s Counternarratives from Rivers, Rock, and Sky,” published by Rocky Mountain Books.
“We wanted stories that were not heard, but should be featured,” Krásná said.
During this process, Krásná and Rainsberry felt a visual pairing could work nicely in tandem with the book, and connected with Victoria, B.C.-based co-producer Grace Gorman to help stage and record a photo shoot showcasing all three sports in one sweeping capture. “[Gorman] was our missing puzzle piece,” Rainsberry said. “She’s kept us focused throughout the span of this project, and she’s the reason why all of our materials look so professional and beautiful.”
Initially planned as a five-minute short, the film sprouted into a feature-length endeavor when Krásná approached filmmakers with the idea. Czech director Honza Považan — also a disabled para athlete — ultimately persuaded them to take the leap under his direction.
Two years of development later, the 85-minute documentary made its big screen debut in front of Hood River eyes — particularly special for Rainsberry, who moved to town for kayaking three and a half years back, and will relocate to the coast to continue field work shortly. “This premiere feels like my last hurrah in the Gorge,” she said. “This is a love letter to the Gorge, to the sports, the activities that we love to do, the places that we’re able to do them in, and the people that we do them with.”
And a hurrah it was. The globetrotting “Flow” gorgeously captures breathtaking vistas, adrenaline-pumping sends, empowering stories, and diverse cultures in one polished, stoke-filled package, scoring a much-deserved standing ovation from its first-ever test audience.
The first third, “Sky,” focuses on Krásná herself, highlining through fog, snow, and cityscape in Czechia and Canada. Largely stationed hundreds of feet in the air, her segment is the most visually stunning and death-defying, chock-full of creative camerawork.
Through sit-down interviews with her mentor, Cheryll and her family members, the film paints a complete picture of a remarkable, world-class achiever. Krásná doesn’t pick between adventure and academic ambition; we see her write a dissertation in a van on a highlining road trip. Up in the air, she grounds herself in the present. On solid earth, she breaks down barriers for a better future.
The second third, “Rock,” takes place across India, focusing on budding rock climber Mohan, whom Rainsberry stumbled across on a backpacking trip and kept in touch with.
In India, it’s abnormal for women to remain unmarried in their thirties, let alone take up something as unpopular and inaccessible as rock climbing. But after exiting a toxic work culture in New Delhi, Mohan yearned for a new direction away from India’s systemic, patriarchal expectations. After backpacking in the Himalayas, she discovered her intangible, indescribable connection to the mountains. Hoping to challenge herself and prove anything is possible, she asked a group of Western climbers if she could join. “The moment I touched rock, I knew I belonged there,” Mohan said.
“Flow” captures Mohan working to scale a boulder in the ancient city of Hampi, where massive, sunbaked rocks and palm trees surround ruined temple complexes. Her unbreakable spirit and zest for adventure transcend any obstacle in her way.
The third and final segment, “River,” zooms in on 15-year-old kayaker Castillo, the first Ecuadorian woman to compete internationally in junior kayak slalom. Considered the first woman to paddle some of the rivers in her area, she shreds whitewater to foster community and encourage other women and young girls to pursue their dreams.
This portion of the film illuminates a pressing concern among citizens across Central and South American countries. Illegal gold mining practices toxify waterways, harming the humans and wildlife that recreate on and drink from them. Even camouflaged in brush, Krásná and Rainsberry were spotted by mining crews during filming. Thus, beyond spotlighting a talented young kayaker, “Flow” aims to address a pressing environmental crisis.
An emotional Krásná and Rainberry answered questions from audience members after the credits rolled, and invited all to attend a slacklining workshop at Jackson Park the next evening.
The film will head to Seattle, Victoria, and Squamish for premieres before entering the festival circuit next year. Until then, “Flow” is unavailable to watch online or in theaters. The book, however, is available for purchase online and at Waucoma Bookstore.
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