Project Title:
UNFINISHED WATERS
Project Summary
Unfinished Waters is a feature documentary chronicling a multi-year journey to complete a dream that history once denied.
In the 1920s, Pauline Jackson, a Black ultra-marathon swimmer from New York, trained extensively and raised funds to attempt the English Channel crossing. One of the most iconic endurance swims in the world. Despite her qualifications, she was denied permission solely because of her race. Her story was never widely told, and her dream was never fulfilled.
Nearly a century later, athlete and wellness entrepreneur Maria Redman will attempt to become the first Black woman to swim the English Channel in 2027. Not for personal glory, but to honor Pauline’s legacy and finish what she was never allowed to begin.
This documentary will follow Maria’s physical preparation, emotional growth, historical research, and cultural mission through open-water swims across the United States and Europe leading up to the Channel crossing. The film weaves together athletic endurance, personal vulnerability, and historical restoration to create a story of resilience, courage, and representation.
Beyond the athletic challenge, the project explores Maria’s personal fear of the ocean and the broader cultural relationship many communities of color have with water access, swimming education, and generational trauma. By stepping into the ocean repeatedly despite fear, Maria embodies the deeper message of reclaiming space, healing inherited limitations, and expanding what is possible.
Unfinished Waters aims to educate, inspire, and preserve a forgotten chapter of history while motivating new generations to see themselves reflected in spaces where they have long been excluded.
Cultural Impact & Relevance
This project restores visibility to an erased Black female athlete and reframes endurance sport through a lens of equity, access, and legacy. It contributes to conversations around representation in outdoor recreation, women’s empowerment, and historical justice.
The film also serves an educational purpose, offering historical context for systemic exclusion in athletics while presenting a modern example of resilience and advocacy. It encourages audiences to confront fear, both personal and cultural, and pursue meaningful purpose-driven goals.
Funding
Funding will support production, archival licensing, post-production, and educational outreach. The film aims for festival release, streaming distribution, and community screenings.
