“Encouraged-Building the Future” inspires young BMX riders to fulfill their dreams

by Danielle Cavaliere for Winter Film Festival
See the documentary Encouraged-Building the Future on February 22 @7:15PM at LOOK Cinemas (657 West 57th Street) as part of New York City’s 13th Annual Winter Film Festival. Tickets now on sale!

Documentary film ENCOURAGED – BUILDING THE FUTURE follows Red Bull BMX athlete Courage Adams as he comes good on a promise he made five years prior to the Lagos BMX crew, to help them build Nigeria’s first ever skatepark. Courage was born in Benin, Nigeria but immigrated to Spain as a young child. At age 12, he started riding BMX and by the age of 16 he’d turned pro, taken the BMX world by storm, and made the most of his parents bold move. Now, he returns to his roots in Nigeria, with an eclectic cast of volunteers to realize this shared dream and create a path for the Lagos BMX crew to follow in his footsteps. This film was funded by Red Bull Media House.

“This film wouldn’t have been possible without the BMX community at large. It’s just the spirit of BMX.” Encouraged – Building the Future tells an inspiring story about a community of BMX riders seeing their dreams become a reality.

At the heart of the film is Courage Adams, a Red Bull BMX athlete originally from Nigeria. Leaving his hometown as a young boy in pursuit of a professional BMX career, Courage has now returned to Lagos to fulfill a long-awaited dream for the local BMX community: the first-ever skatepark in Nigeria.

The journey began in 2017 when director Fraser Byrne and producer Tyrone Bradley made their first trip to Nigeria. Over the next seven years, and through the lens of three films, they witnessed the growth of the Nigerian BMX crew. “You got to see them grow up,” says Fraser. “And we are still going to be watching and involved in seeing where they go.”

Fraser and Tyrone’s connection to the BMX community is deeply personal. Their shared love for the sport led them to the idea of creating a film that captured the raw spirit of BMX in Nigeria. With both of them having been immersed in BMX for years, they felt an intimate connection to this story. The BMX scene in Lagos mirrored their own early experiences with the sport. They even used BMX as a guide for their filmmaking process: “We both learned to do our craft through shooting BMX,” Fraser recalls.

The film’s director of photography, who also came from a BMX background, was able to immerse himself in the action by riding alongside the BMX crew to capture authentic, on-the-go shots. Much of the film’s riding footage was shot with the camera in one hand, while riding alongside the athletes, bringing an unmatched energy and intimacy to the visuals.

While the creative aspects of the film were exciting, the technical challenges were immense. Tyrone, who served as both producer and photographer, often found himself switching between roles on the fly. “In the heat of the moment, when we needed footage, Tyrone would just revert back to being a photographer,” recalls Fraser. “We need to film this!” The entire crew had to be flexible, juggling filmmaking with the hands-on work of building a skatepark. As Fraser puts it, “The whole project was a two-headed beast.”

Building the skatepark, which would become a cornerstone of the film, was no small task. The crew’s first walk up to the concrete site looked vastly different from their final view, as the park took shape over two intense weeks of work. What makes the accomplishment even more remarkable is that the skatepark was built by the BMX riders themselves. When they arrived in Nigeria, they asked the local BMX crew to help with the construction. “We told them, ‘This is going to be the hardest work you’ve ever done,’ and they were like, ‘Oh yeah, let’s do it!’”

One of the key figures in the building process was Fids, a beloved figure who became almost like a father to the crew. Not only did he teach them the ins and outs of BMX, but he also imparted valuable construction skills. Tragically Fids passed away, but his legacy lives on through the skatepark and the impact he had on the crew. “It wouldn’t have happened without him, the whole project. The film has taken on a second life with everyone that knows him, you can watch it and see Fids at his best.”

Despite the many obstacles they faced in bringing this dream to life, the creation of the skatepark was the driving force that kept everyone motivated. Multiple trips to Nigeria, countless hours spent filming and building, all led to the ultimate moment: the Nigerian BMX crew finally riding in their own Olympic-style skatepark. But while the skatepark marked the end of the film’s narrative, it’s far from the end of the BMX community’s journey. Courage Adams continues to mentor the crew, teaching them new skills and returning to his homeland to ensure the skatepark’s upkeep. Others from the crew have also returned to maintain the wooden park.

Looking ahead, the goal is to empower the Nigerian BMX community to strengthen their skills and represent their country on the global stage. This vision is what fueled the creation of the skatepark, and what continues to inspire all those involved in the project.

The story isn’t over—it’s just the beginning. The skatepark was merely a stepping stone in a larger movement to bring more BMX riders to Nigeria and to inspire new dreams in the process. “It was a collective dream, and then it became a collective experience. Seeing the whole thing manifest and then get ridden and enjoyed, that’s something we’ll always remember.”