BREAKS

Short Talk with Christina Yianni (director)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM Category

22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025

United Kingdom, Documentary, English, 00:09:31, 2024

Synopsis: A deeply personal documentary that follows Team England parasurfer and Paralympian, Hannah Dines, who lives with cerebral palsy and PSC, from the shores of Wales to California to compete in the World Championships.

Biography: BREAKS is Christina's first documentary film as a producer/director, having previously written and directed two short fiction dramas. Christina's background is in theatre. Hailing from Cypriot parentage and raised in the outskirts of West London, she followed her dream to study at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. More recently she pursued healthcare design at the Royal College of Art, combining it with her passion for filmmaking, which was the catalyst for BREAKS, a film about parasurfing.

Christina Yianni, director

Raya Hristova: Cristina, you have a background in acting, and this isn’t your first time directing either. How do those two experiences compare? Do you prefer one over the other?

Christina Yianni: I studied theatre a long time ago not acting professionally, but I studied acting as a craft, along with directing. I think there’s a crossover between the two. It’s about being vulnerable, being open, being curious. That’s where the connection lies between acting and directing for me.

Raya Hristova: The film revolves around a parasurfing competition. Were you already familiar with this world, or did you discover it during the filmmaking process?

Yianni: I actually discovered the parasurfing community by accident. I was studying design and came across a designer who had created a prosthetic leg for a lifeguard—something that could function on sand and in water. As I looked into his work, I started finding parasurfers on social media. They were posting about their sport, their journeys and I just kept following them. Then Netflix announced a funding scheme focused on community-based stories, and I realized this would be an incredible community to follow. That’s where it all started. I connected with people through social media, got to know them, and began my research from there.

Raya Hristova: Is the competition shown in the film held annually? When and where does it usually take place?

Yianni: The parasurfers in the film train all year round and travel the world for competitions. The one we focus on in the film is in California, but they also compete in Hawaii, South America, England, there are quite a few events organized by the International Surfing Association specifically for parasurfers.

Raya Hristova: Some of the footage is shot in the water. How did you manage those shots, and what kind of equipment did you use?

Yianni: We were really fortunate people were incredibly generous with their footage. A lot of the parasurfers document their own journeys. Many of them are self-funded, so they’re really proactive with social media and publicity. They shared footage that they or their friends had filmed. We did most of our filming on land, interviews and scenes around the competition. The ISA has its own media team and doesn’t allow anyone in the water during competitions for safety reasons, and drones aren’t allowed either. But they kindly gave us access to some of their official competition footage.

Raya Hristova: This is the first film you’ve both produced and directed. How did you find the experience? Do you want to continue making films, and if so, in what direction?

Yianni: Yes, this is my first documentary film. I’ve done some short fiction films before, but I was really drawn to this story. I wanted to give it a try, and I felt that this community truly deserved a platform. It’s definitely given me an appetite for more, especially documentaries and hybrid forms. I’d love to blend fiction with darker themes, and tell stories that I think are timely and important, especially ones that give a voice to people who aren’t often heard in mainstream media.

Interviewer: Raya Hristova

Editor: Martin Kudlac

Raya Hristova’s Take

With Breaks, her first documentary film, Christina Yianni dives headfirst into a vibrant, defiant, and often overlooked world: the international community of parasurfers. The result is a powerful, human-centered short that captures not just the adrenaline of competitive surfing, but the profound courage, creativity, and resilience of a community carving space for itself, wave by wave.

Yianni, who comes from a background in theatre and fiction filmmaking, brings a keen sensitivity to her subjects. Her training in acting and directing clearly informs her approach to storytelling: she listens deeply, captures vulnerability without pity, and centers her film not on the limits of disability, but on the limitless energy of those who’ve redefined what’s possible. 

The documentary focuses on a parasurfing competition in California, just one stop in a global circuit that includes events from Hawaii to South America. But Breaks is not just about the thrill of sport. It's about identity, dignity, and belonging. The surfers Yianni follows are self-funded athletes. Many shoot and share their own training footage, and this grassroots visual material becomes part of the film’s fabric. 

Due to strict safety protocols, Yianni couldn’t film in the water herself, no drones, no floating cameramen, but instead leaned into existing footage captured by the parasurfers and official media teams. This decision doesn’t weaken the film. On the contrary, it amplifies the voice of the community by allowing them to contribute to their own portrayal. The result is an authentic, multifaceted view of life. The film’s title is especially resonant. It refers not only to surf breaks but also to the physical and emotional fractures the athletes have faced, and the breakthroughs they've achieved. 

In Breaks we can see the power of the waves contrasted with the fierce determination of athletes who refuse to be defined by physical limits.