A DOCUMENTARY that follows a group of open-water swimmers taking on seven of the world’s toughest channel swims is being screened in Newquay.

A special showing of ‘Don’t Be Prey’ will be staged at the Lighthouse Cinema on Friday, March 13, at 7.30pm.

It tells the tale of Australian businessman Mark Sowerby’s journey to reclaim his life after a highly publicised short-selling attack on Blue Sky in 2017 dismantled his reputation, identity, and self-belief.

Over the course of a decade, he attempts the Oceans Seven, a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims, which comprises the North Channel, the Cook Strait, the Molokaʻi Channel, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of Gibraltar.

The gruelling odyssey through cold, darkness, and apex predators was devised in 2008 as the swimming equivalent of the Seven Summits mountaineering feat.

By his final crossing, Mark’s journey transcends mere physical endurance, evolving into a profound reclamation of self, achieved only by surrendering control to a team he learns to trust implicitly.

Mark Sowerby will feature in a live discussion at the special screening at the Lighthouse Cinema alongside his coach Tim Denyer. They will be reflecting on the decade-long journey behind the film from the physical endurance to the mental discipline required to withstand extreme conditions. Mike Tipton MBE will be contributing to the conversation.

Don’t Be Prey is being released by Munro Films and PixelFrame in select UK and Irish cinemas.

A spokesperson said: “Don’t Be Prey is an edge-of-your-seat adventure into one man’s fight to reclaim his life.

“Featuring unforgettable characters, raw vulnerability, and the constant risk of sharks and jellyfish, it’s a gripping, uplifting journey of resilience, reinvention and what it really takes to survive.”