Three Australian girls seek the ultimate success in the world of competitive skateboarding while sliding into an adolescence without handrails.

It’s 2016, and talented young skateboarders Hayley, Ava and Charlotte – aged 14, 13 and nine, respectively – have their sights set on one goal: to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. But this is no mere half-pipedream. Already nationally recognised as being among the best competitors in their age groups, they’re buoyed by the news that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be the first ever to feature competitive skateboarding – a sport where the usual rules of gravity don’t seem to apply, and where there’s no safety net to break your fall.

Supported by the MIFF Premiere Fund, Queens of Concrete charts the trio’s highs and lows as they face the immense physical and emotional demands of daily training regimens, fraught relationships with coaches, and intensive preparations for high-stakes events. Shot over seven years, including the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Eliza Cox’s coming-of-age documentary provides a gripping and at times devastating look into the challenges these girls must endure while navigating the complexities of growing up. The successes and setbacks that Hayley, Ava and Charlotte encounter along the way may place their dreams in jeopardy, but they might also just help these bright sparks discover who they are and what they want from life.

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Director Eliza Cox, producer Gena Lida Riess, and subjects Charlotte Heath, Ava Godfrey and Hayley Wilson are guests of the festival. All will be in attendance at the Sunday 18 August Melbourne session, while Cox and Riess will be present at the Tuesday 20 and Sunday 25 August Melbourne sessions .