Just days after her college graduation, a snorkeling trip turned into a nightmare when the accomplished collegiate swimmer was attacked by a shark. The brutal encounter would test every ounce of her strength and will to live. Against staggering odds, Ali survived but her life was forever altered. The loss of her leg marked not just a physical transformation, but an emotional reckoning. Faced with unimaginable trauma, Ali made a powerful choice: to reclaim her story and use her experience to inspire others. Leaning on the values that had always guided her, she set her sights on a nearly unthinkable goal, earning a spot on the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team… just one year after the attack.
“Stronger Than You Think” follows her extraordinary journey: through the pain of recovery, the battle to return to the water, the triumph of making Team USA, and ultimately, rising to the podium in Paris. It’s a story of survival, strength, and a young woman’s unbreakable spirit, a testament to what’s possible when resilience meets purpose.
Director / Producer / Editor
If you’re lucky, once in a lifetime, you are entrusted to tell the story of a journey the likes of Ali Truwit’s. The unparalleled account of her survival, her resilience and her ultimate triumph is beyond inspirational.
Quite often, documentaries are a look back at events, but the opportunity to capture this mind-bending year as it unfolded was lightning in a bottle.
We are grateful to the Truwit family for letting us fully into their lives during such a traumatic time.
As Ali said to us on many occasions, if this film is going to make an impact, we must be willing to show everything along the way; not just the shiny social media worthy moments, but the solitary moments of sorrow, pain and uncertainty. You can imagine the outstanding amount of bravery it takes, as a new amputee, to open up everything for the cameras to witness. But if you know Ali, as you’ll come to understand by watching this film, you know she has courage beyond her years.
From the moment a shark attack forever altered her life, Ali saw as her mission, the chance to turn trauma and tragedy into hope. This film not only documents that journey but hopefully makes you, as the viewer, understand that we are all Stronger Than You Think.
Director / Producer / Editor
Janice C. Molinari has been a storyteller her whole life…but has only done it professionally for the last three decades.
She got her start in the hallowed halls of MTV and is currently the
Director of Production of Marketing for Hulu, Disney and ABC.
In the years in between she worked on a variety of projects, including projects such as; the Olympic and Paralympic Games, The NFL on CBS, National Geographic Explorer Journal, “Night of Too Many Stars” for Comedy Central, and “On the Case with Paula Zahn”.
For 16 years she co-owned Brisun Productions where she created, Produced and Directed several acclaimed series.
Janice is the recipient of 7 Emmy Awards and a PGA Award.
Communicating in this medium isn’t a job for her, it’s a lifelong passion. She recognizes the potential to touch people’s lives through her work and believes that stories have the power to create change in the world. Janice seeks independent projects that she hopes will inspire others to action.
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