Motherload is the story of a new mum searching for freedom and connection in a gas-powered, digital and divided world. A fun, cheeky, and charming documentary that looks at how the humble cargo bike could be an antidote to the isolation, disconnection, and climate impacts that come with our modern way of life. 

As a new mum of twins, filmmaker Liz Canning is lonely and stressed about the precariousness of our planet’s future, and is missing what made her feel connected, free and alive: her bicycle.

Feeling trapped by her dependence on a car to transport kids, Liz questions our cultural understanding of “comfort”. 

Then, she discovers the cargo bicycle.

Motherload is the story of a new mum searching for freedom and connection in a gas-powered, digital and divided world. A crowdsourced documentary, it explores our cultural shift toward isolation and disconnection, how this may affect our future, and whether the cargo bike could be an antidote. 

As she joins this global movement to replace cars with purpose-built bikes, Liz learns about the bicycle’s history and potential future as the ultimate “social revolutioniser.”

Liz finds that humans are genetically hardwired to crave outdoor sensory experiences like riding a bicycle. This is most urgently felt today, as our hunter-gatherer instincts are drowned out by the clamour of the digital age.

Her experiences as a cyclist, a mother, and in the cargo bike world, teach Liz that sustainability is not necessarily about compromise, and there are few things more empowering, in the age of consumption, than the ability to create everything from what seems to be nothing.

“Motherload is the story of one woman’s emancipation from the drudgery of the carpool, the drop-off line, the grocery run, but it’s ultimately an aspirational look into a global movement of alternative parenting. Cargo bikers are a pared-down version of #vanlife or #tinyhome devotees, who sell their houses and possessions to live with less. You may not be able to live in your cargo bike, but you can live on it.” Outside Online 

*This film has been exempt from classification and is restricted to people over 15 years. People under 15 must be accompanied by an adult