METTLE, a short documentary film, follows the journey of Liana Mutia, a blind Filipino-American judoka, in her quest to make history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Liana wasn’t born blind. In fact, she was able to see the world until the age of 15, when a rare eye disorder called ischemic optic neuropathy slowly took away her eyesight. Five years later, Liana’s vision was completely gone, forcing her to navigate the reality of living as a blind person. Undeterred by the loss of her vision, she turned to judo as a way to prove to herself that she wasn’t going to be held back in life because of her disability.
However, the road to Paris is anything but smooth. Throughout her training, Liana faces health concerns that cause her to miss not just one but two of the three qualifying tournaments in the months leading up to the Paralympics. With time running out, Liana has one tournament left to prove that she will be on the global sports stage that summer.
This 23-minute documentary follows the deeply personal journey of a top-ranked athlete as she navigates health challenges and combats both physical and social opponents one day at a time. METTLE meets Liana at a point in her life where she has come to terms with her blindness. As she journeys to the Paralympics, Liana has to learn how to train for the largest sports competition in the world while navigating new health detriments that impact her heart and stamina.