Bamawm Extension native and Paralympic swimmer Col Pearse is the focus of a new behind-the-scenes documentary titled The Quest for Paris, produced by the Victorian Institute of Sport.
Film maker Dominic Hook directed, shot and edited the documentary. He does freelance work for the VIS, where he first met Col.
The documentary, shot from October 2023 until recently, chronicles Col’s journey to qualify for the Paris Paralympic Games.
Dominic spent a lot of time with Col and his family. One of his first shoots for the documentary was on the Pearse family dairy farm at Bamawm Extension.
Mr Hook spoke about his time making the documentary and how it grew in a direction he wasn’t expecting.
“It’s been a pretty overwhelming experience, as there is a lot of pressure on these moments; Col said at one point in the documentary that he has to swim the best minute of his life once every four years,” he said.
“The way to get the good content was to be with him as much as possible, particularly at trials in June.
“I really didn’t want to impact things, but I wanted to be there to capture the real deal. I got an authentic behind-the-scenes view of the amount of pressure that these athletes welcome on themselves.
“That was a fascinating insight for me during this process. I thought it’d be a physical tale and journey, but it was about mental resilience and control.”
Mr Hook also highlighted how he and Col became close friends throughout the process, and that connection enabled the two to create the most authentic portrayal of elite sport possible.
“We have developed a good friendship throughout all of this, which has been great,” he said.
“Our relationship has grown over time, and it made it a lot easier in those tougher times that he can trust me, and I’ve got his back.”
Through this close bond, Mr Hook was invited by Col’s mum, Teena, and sister, Ashleigh, to travel to Paris and cheer on Col as he goes for gold.
While there, Mr Hook plans to make a smaller documentary, a passion project focusing on Teena and her sacrifices and dedication that got Col to the Paralympics.
“The best part is that I will be heading to Paris in a few weeks to watch him swim with his family after developing that friendship, so I’m stoked about that,” Mr Hook said.
“I heard all about this process of being ‘farm strong’ from Col and Teena and how his background of working hard on a dairy farm has prepared him for the Paralympics this year.
“So, I want to capture what that looks like from his mum’s point of view because she is the one who has helped him get to where he is.
“I want it to encapsulate how Teena’s and his family’s sacrifice has fuelled his dream.”
During his time with the Pearse family, Mr Hook has learnt much about swimming and is confident Col will win at least one of his events.
“I knew very little about swimming when we started, so I feel like an amateur swimming expert now, which is pretty cool,” he said.
“I think a medal is on the cards, but I’m backing him to win gold in the 200m individual medley.
“He swam a PB at trials in June, and at that point in time, he was the fastest swimmer for that event in the world.”
You can watch part one of The Quest for Paris on the VIS TV channel on Youtube: The Quest for Paris - Col Pearse Part One (youtube.com)