"Slower Steps" is a branded documentary film about recovery, slowness, and the deep connection between human and planetary health. Directed by Al Johnstone, the film follows Alice Sainsbury on a 125-mile pilgrimage along the Cornish Celtic Way after spinal cord damage left her paralysed on her left side.
Forced out of a culture shaped by speed and productivity, Alice matches her pace to nature’s gentle rhythms. Along the way, she learns that recovery is not about returning to who she was, but about trusting her body as it is — moving with the landscape rather than against it.
The film is part of 'Planet Health Stories', a series in collaboration with Bupa exploring the inseparable bond between personal wellbeing and the health of our planet.
Shot party on 16mm, the film physically carries the place within it. The footage was hand-processed by Joanna Mayes using seawater collected from Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, Cornwall, allowing salt, sand and shell fragments to mark the images. This unpredictable process mirrors Alice’s embrace of uncertainty and imperfection throughout her journey.
"Slower Steps" is both a portrait of endurance and an invitation to slow down, listen, and rethink what it means to heal.
Forced out of a culture shaped by speed and productivity, Alice matches her pace to nature’s gentle rhythms. Along the way, she learns that recovery is not about returning to who she was, but about trusting her body as it is — moving with the landscape rather than against it.
The film is part of 'Planet Health Stories', a series in collaboration with Bupa exploring the inseparable bond between personal wellbeing and the health of our planet.
Shot party on 16mm, the film physically carries the place within it. The footage was hand-processed by Joanna Mayes using seawater collected from Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, Cornwall, allowing salt, sand and shell fragments to mark the images. This unpredictable process mirrors Alice’s embrace of uncertainty and imperfection throughout her journey.
"Slower Steps" is both a portrait of endurance and an invitation to slow down, listen, and rethink what it means to heal.
Credits
Earthrise Executive Producer - Alice Aedy, Earthrise Producer - Ciara O’Shea, Art Direction - Liliana Saldanha, Featuring - Alice Sainsbury, Director - Al Johnstone, Cinematographer - Antonia Schäfer, Camera Assistant - Oli Riley, Film Processing - Joanna Mayes, Scan - On8mil, Editor - Raluca Petre, Composer - Carrie Penn, Sound Designer - Anna Carpani, Colourist - Fox Bamber Barron
Earthrise Executive Producer - Alice Aedy, Earthrise Producer - Ciara O’Shea, Art Direction - Liliana Saldanha, Featuring - Alice Sainsbury, Director - Al Johnstone, Cinematographer - Antonia Schäfer, Camera Assistant - Oli Riley, Film Processing - Joanna Mayes, Scan - On8mil, Editor - Raluca Petre, Composer - Carrie Penn, Sound Designer - Anna Carpani, Colourist - Fox Bamber Barron
