Skydiving film

A FILM exploring the friendship that developed between two skydivers after they collided mid-air will screen as part of the Byron Bay International Film Festival this weekend.

Impact tells the story of Mark Lucchiari and Ben Lucock, who were involved in the near-fatal accident in the skies above Byron Bay in 2021.

The accident left Lucock with critical injuries to his knee requiring multiple surgeries, while Lucchiari was left unconscious for the remainder of the freefall.

His life was saved by an automated activation device (AAD) which deployed his reserve parachute only a few hundred feet from the ground.

The film’s director and producer Patrick Dunne, who is also a skydiver and videographer, said the pair contacted him to ask if he was interested in making a documentary about what happened.

“It wasn’t intended to turn into what it has turned into, which is a one-hour feature,” he said.

Dunne said Lucock suffered from depression after the accident and Lucchiari helped him through it.

“There were multiple reasons why he felt depressed – there may have been part of him that felt guilty and he’s a very active, sporty guy and he couldn’t do any of those things for a long time,” he said. “It brought him to a low place.

“But Mark was able to forgive Ben straight away and the story focuses on these two guys who knew each other in the skydiving community but after this event they became really good friends and helped each other come out of the depression, going to the gym, doing kickboxing and going surfing.”

Dunne said he hoped the film would help raise awareness about the important issue of men’s mental health.

“My family has a history of mental health problems and I have experienced it first-hand, so their story really resonated with me and when I heard about it I really wanted to be involved,” he said.

Impact will screen at Brunswick Picture House on October 26.

For more information and tickets, visit bbff.com.au/bbff2024documentaries