Guy Mariano

Skateboarders perform stunts in a variety of settings.

Thalente Biyela is about to turn 18 and needs to decide what to be when he ‘grows up’. Homeless since age nine, he is illiterate: His opportunities are limited. At age eight, his first skateboard becomes his escape from turmoil at home, giving him a way to express himself, and access to a community of friends who become family. Skateboarding soon became the driving force in his life, providing him sanctity as he lived on the streets of Durban. An Internet video of Thalente skating reaches pro-skater Kenny Anderson who offers to take him under his wing if he makes it to America. Thalente puts his heart and soul to the test to rise above circumstance and shape his future.