ABOUT THE FILM

LOGLINE

America’s fastest 1500m runner, Nikki Hiltz, races toward an Olympic berth while confronting the pressures of public scrutiny and expectations as a trans nonbinary athlete. With unprecedented access, KICK follows Nikki and their partner Emma through a season of elite competition, as the pursuit of a lifelong dream determines not only their future but who they become to themselves and to each other.

LONG SYNOPSIS

Rooted in intimate present-day vérité, KICK follows Nikki Hiltz in the months leading up to the US Olympic Trials, where a single race could determine the course of their life. In the isolation of Flagstaff, Arizona, Nikki and their partner Emma Gee run more than 70 miles a week at 7,000 feet above sea level, shaping their lives around the demands of elite competition. For Nikki, the stakes could not be higher: they have a chance to realize a lifelong dream and earn a place on Team USA. If they succeed, they will also become the first out transgender runner to compete at the Olympic Games.

Magnetic, goofy, and fiercely competitive, Nikki sees themself as “just a track nerd with a dream.” Yet since coming out as trans nonbinary, they have found themself embroiled in a culture-consuming battle about fairness and inclusivity in sports. As the Olympics draw within reach, Nikki must navigate performance anxiety, mounting pressure from critics and supporters alike, and difficult questions about identity, including whether to pursue possibly disqualifying gender-affirming care while competing at the highest level of sport.

Alongside Nikki is their partner Emma Gee: Gen Z, brazen, and the outspoken fighter to Nikki’s conflict-avoidant uniter. The first out athlete at BYU, Emma has had to fight harder for acceptance, including from her disapproving Mormon parents. While Nikki seeks refuge in competition, Emma champions a more confrontational approach, urging a reluctant Nikki to use their growing platform to advocate for themself and their queer community more forcefully. As Nikki’s star rises, Emma, a talented athlete navigating the uncertain transition from collegiate running to the professional ranks, struggles through a disappointing season to define her own path. Living and training together, the couple’s relationship is tested by ambition, diverging careers, and their competing beliefs about what visibility demands.

KICK captures the exhilaration and heartbreak of elite competition alongside an intimate portrait of a young couple navigating identity, ambition, and love. At once a thrilling sports film and a coming-of-age love story, it explores what happens when the pursuit of one dream begins to reshape every aspect of two lives.

At its heart, the film asks a universal question: what, if anything, must we sacrifice in pursuit of our dreams?

Director Julia Schwalb

Producers Samantha Bloom, Grace Zahrah, Julia Schwalb, Zackary Drucker, Alex Schmider, Julia Schwalb

Executive Producers Hallee Adelman, Roger & Carin Ehrenberg, Eileen A. Ryan, Matthew Singer, Juliette Morris, Tegan & Sara , Imara Jones, Tiler Wilson, Megan Rapinoe, Camille Bernier-Green

Co-Executive Producers Adrian Salpeter, Chris Mosier

Editor Moira Hamilton

Cinematographer Curren Sheldon

Supervising Editor Grace Zahrah

Original Score By Para One

Featuring Nikki Hiltz, Emma Gee

FESTIVALS
2026: DOC NYC World Premiere (Opening Night)

AVAILABLE TERRITORIES
The World

EXHIBITION FORMATS
DCP, Digital Download