The Happy Cyclist

 A father who suffers from M.E. shares a story of hope through bikes. Shot and directed through the lens of his son.

STORY

The happy cyclist is an honest conversation between a father and son. At the heart this film aims to tell a story of a shared love of bikes passed down from Father to son and the positive impact bikes have had in their lives. Tim Bennett (the father), who suffers from M.E. also known as chronic fatigue, vulnerably shares his story of persistence against adversity. One day at a time, little by little, Tim fights against his illness to find happiness on his bike. Joel’s intention was that this film be a story about his dad but the more he filmed and spent time with his dad the more he realised how much this film was also about himself.

BIOS

Joel Bennett (Filmmaker and son) Joel’s passion for filmmaking was born from his want to document his bike stunts buying his first MiniDV cam at 16. This led to Joel studying Film and video at London college of communications. After Graduating Joel’s first social commentary documentary on young father’s called ‘the father’s heart’ aired on a channel 4 shorts special. Since this time Joel has had the opportunity to shoot around the world for various mediums. One of his favourite experiences was filming the JPOP artist BabyMetal on tour in the USA and in Europe.

Tim Bennett (Father and happy cyclist) Tim has struggled with physical and mental illness for most of his life but hasn’t let that get in the way of his love for bikes. Tim volunteers at the local food bank and paints watercolour.