Las Vegas Mixtape v49: Culinary Smarts, a Motown Party, and more! — Track #4 (of 5): Nevada Women’s Film Festival @UNLV

Track #4 (of 5): Nevada Women’s Film Festival @UNLV

 
Vegas-born Amy Purdy has enough light to power the whole world. (Image: Vegas 411)

I always like to share the popular slogan “The Future Is Female” because men have held the reins for too long. With that in mind, I headed to one of the screenings at the 12th annual Nevada 2026 Women’s Film Festival on the UNLV campus. It was positively uplifting to see the short film “Speed of Life,” a documentary about and featuring Vegas-born and world-famous Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy as herself.

The film—directed by actor-producer Jeff Lester and executive produced by his wife, actress-singer Susan Anton, both longtime Vegas residents—movingly illuminates how Purdy rises above what life dealt her at age 19. She contracted bacterial meningitis, which morphed into septic shock, resulting in both her legs being amputated below the knee.

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Actors and producers Susan Anton and Jeff Lester (far right) were saluted on the carpet by Ava Berman and Carlos Adley, owners of downtown’s Fremont Country Club and Backstage Bar & Billiards. (Image: Vegas 411)

Purdy triumphantly goes on to win medals in Paralympic snowboarding and greatly impacts what’s known as “adaptive sports.”  Her resilience, as captured in this riveting film, is nothing less than breathtaking.

“Speed of Life” has earned acclaim on the film festival circuit since its debut in 2008 and made its Nevada debut at this festival, picking up an award for “Best Female Protagonist.” These days, Purdy (who retired in 2022) is a motivational speaker, author and founder of Adaptive Action Sports.