Documentaries

Lonnie Bedwell’s story has been told on screen by award-winning filmmakers. These feature and short documentaries follow him from the loss of his sight through the whitewater of the Grand Canyon and beyond — and they are the best introduction to who he is for anyone considering booking him to speak.

Feel of Vision is a short documentary produced by REI and directed by Tucker Gragg and Austin Gardner. After a 1997 hunting accident took his sight, Lonnie’s confidence in his most basic abilities was shaken. The film follows his path back — from that loss to the whitewater that would come to define him.

Official selections include Mountainfilm in Telluride, the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, and the Fresh Coast Film Festival. The film is also available to stream on Prime Video.

The Long River Home, directed by Seth Dahl of Big Cedar Media, follows combat-injured veterans Aaron Howell and Russell Davies as they guide Lonnie through the Grand Canyon — fourteen days, more than eighty rapids, and a finish at Lava Falls, the canyon’s largest. The guides call directions aloud; Lonnie reads the river by feel. It is a film about trust as much as it is about whitewater.

Awards and selections: Premiered at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival (2019). Audience Award, Walla Walla Movie Crush. Best Short Feature, Maine Outdoor Film Festival. Best Film Made by Military or Veterans, GI Film Festival San Diego. Impact Award, Adventure Uncovered Film Festival. An official selection at more than thirty festivals worldwide, and carried on the Banff World Tour.

On Me is a documentary featuring Lonnie and the veterans of Team River Runner, the organization that first put him in a kayak and helped him prepare for his historic blind descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

Learn more about the program that started it all at teamriverrunner.org.

Lonnie speaks to corporate teams, universities, veterans’ organizations, and community groups across the country.