Fiscal Sponsorship Spotlight:
Catching Light

The Coast Film Foundation is proud to support Catching Light, an inspiring and introspective documentary about snowboarding pioneer Tina Basich directed by Dalton Paley. A driving force behind the rise of women’s snowboarding, the film highlights Tina’s determination to find space for women within a male dominated culture. The film reveals untold stories of the sport’s early days, the rapid growth of snowboarding, and Tina’s cultivation of community within the sport. While also exploring the journey of her daughter’s complicated medical diagnosis, what begins as a mission to preserve history becomes a deeper reflection on resilience, equity, motherhood, and letting go.

In partnership with Irreverent Films and Tina Basich, the Coast Film Foundation is raising $50,000 through our fiscal sponsorship program to help bring this story to life and ensure these memories are never lost.

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Tina Basich’s journey is one from humble beginnings to the highest echelons of snowboarding. This film, Catching Light, captures a journey woven through memories of her groundbreaking snowboarding career. A fearless trailblazer in the early 80s and 90s, she played a vital role in snowboarding’s explosive growth and helped carve a place for women when snowboarding was just being defined as a sport. By building community with other female athletes, designing and advocating for the first wave of women-specific equipment, and standing up for women in competitions, her grit had the effect of making snowboarding more inclusive and accessible.

Rising to the highest competitive ranks with numerous podiums, first descents in Alaska, and an influential role with Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) has defined Tina's long career. However, her greatest pride was in becoming a mother to her daughter Addison. With a diagnosis of an aggressively progressing form of scoliosis Tina and her family were forced to make difficult choices to help Addison heal.

Witnessing the destruction of her brother Mike Basich’s home—and the heartbreaking loss of his snowboarding archives in two separate fires- Tina was inspired to preserve her own archives and shine a light on the often-overlooked history of women’s snowboarding. With the support of her community and director Dalton Paley, she sets out to show her daughter the strength it takes to face life’s challenges. But as she pieces together memories and reflections, Tina uncovers a deeper truth: the real gift is not in preserving her story—it’s in letting go.

Tina spent years creating, evolving as an athlete, and processing challenges through her art, which has become a vital creative tool for her to help her daughter understand her scoliosis treatment for scoliosis. As Addison begins her own path as a young adult, Tina realizes that the most powerful gift for her daughter isn’t a history to inherit, but the freedom to write her own story.

Production Team:

Dalton Paley - Director / DP
Tina Basich - Producer
Jonas Roeser - Executive Producer
Seth Brown - Story Producer / Editor / Cameras
Secura Hatch - Editor

Featuring:

Shannon Dunn, Kimmy Fasani, Kelly Clark, Michelle Taggart, Michael Basich, Lisa Hudson, Gaylen Naygel, Justin Hostynek, Marc Frank Montoya, Travis Wood, Brad Stewart, Wendy Poppens, and more!

Coming interviews: Tony Hawk, Steve Cabellero, Barrett Christy

Every donation helps bring this story to life—and we’ve created a few special ways to say thank you.

$10,000 donation: Receive one of Tina’s pro model snowboards from Tina’s archive collection, signed. Only three are available! (Shipping in the USA only)
$2,000 donation: Receive a signed Original mixed-media artwork. (Shipping in the USA only)
$1,000 donation: Receive a signed Archival print from Tina's mixed-media warrior Capita snowboard art series. (Shipping in the USA only)
$500 donation: Receive a signed galley original transcript of her book "Pretty Good for a Girl" with vintage stickers. (Shipping in the USA only)