Katie Bender Wynn (born 5 October 1985) is an Australian filmmaker based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. She made her feature-length directing debut with the 2016 documentary '' The Will To Fly'' about Australian Olympic freestyle skier gold medalist Lydia Lassila.

Early life

Bender is a former gymnast and

freestyle skier Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Winter Olympics. It can consist of a skier performing aerial flips and spins and can include skiers sliding rails and ...

, and trained on the Australian freestyle aerial ski team. Bender attended Methodist Ladies College in Victoria,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

where she could study and train at a high-performance gymnastics center based on campus. At 16 years old, Bender was recruited by the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia to join an athlete talent pathway program which converted gymnasts into freestyle aerial skiers.

Film

''The Will To Fly''

Bender was the producer and director of the 2016 feature documentary The Will To Fly about Australian Olympic freestyle skier gold medalist Lydia Lassila. Bender is an ex-teammate of Lydia and was inspired to make ''The Will To Fly'' in 2012 while visiting Lydia at a training camp in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. Lydia was the defending Olympic champion at the time and had just returned to the sport as a first-time mother. Bender realised the potential for a feature-length film when Lydia explained her sporting aspirations to narrow the gap between male and female capabilities by performing a "quad triple twisting, triple somersault" at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Will To Fly was five years in the making and one of Australia's first feature-length sports documentaries. The film made its Australian premiere in Melbourne on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

(8 March) 2016 followed by a

theatrical release An art release is the premiere of an artistic production and its presentation and marketing to the public. Film A film release is the authorization by the owner of a completed film to a public exhibition of the film. The exhibition may be in theat ...

, where it was positively received by critics. The film was quoted "The Most Inspirational Movie of the Year" by The Huffington Post Australia.

''Matildas: The World At Our Feet''

Bender was the director of the 2023

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

docu-series Matildas: The World At Our Feet, for which she was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television. The six-part docu-series is an inspirational and intimate behind-the-scenes story following the

Matildas The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) si ...

, as they prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on home soil. The series features players including superstar

Sam Kerr Samantha May Kerr (born 10 September 1993) is an Australian professional football player who plays as a forward for Chelsea in the FA Women's Super League and the Australia women's national team (the ''Matildas''), which she has captained si ...

Ellie Carpenter Ellie Madison Carpenter (born 28 April 2000) is an Australian footballer who plays as a defender for French club Olympique Lyonnais and the Australia national team. She previously played for Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia's W-League ...

, Mary Fowler, and more.

Filmography

* The Will To Fly (2016) – director *We Champion (2021) – director * Matildas: The World At Our Feet (2023) – director

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bender Wynn, Katie Living people 1985 births Australian female freestyle skiers People educated at Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne Australian film producers Australian women film directors Australian documentary filmmakers Film directors from Melbourne Women documentary filmmakers Australian expatriates in the United States People from Geelong