In late January 2026, the Chicago cast and crew of Sharing Air came together at a Diveheart adaptive scuba event held at the Oak Lawn Pool, offering a powerful preview of the community and spirit at the heart of the upcoming feature film.
The event brought together Adaptive Divers with a wide range of physical challenges alongside trained dive-buddy volunteers, family members, and supporters. Friends and loved ones gathered poolside as Adaptive Divers experienced the freedom and weightlessness of being underwater, some for the first time. The atmosphere was relaxed and joyful, with coffee, donuts, and plenty of smiles as families connected and shared stories.
Members of the Sharing Air cast and crew spent time speaking with divers and their families, gaining firsthand insight into the real-world experiences that inspired the film. Director of Photography, Tommy Jackson, and cinematographe, Ivana Cipurko, captured images throughout the event.
Jackson noted the significance of the location, explaining that the Oak Lawn pool will serve as one of the film’s primary Chicago shooting locations. “Being in the space where we’ll be filming brings the story to life,” he said. “The environment naturally creates a cinematic reflection of what it feels like to train and ultimately become scuba certified. It’s visually compelling and emotionally grounded.”
Several cast members entered the water to begin working on their scuba skills, including Karen Ma (Clarissa), Loren Jones (Scott), and Joy Khalil (Joyce). Others in attendance were Stephanie Lee Bourgeois portraying Laura, the wife of wounded military veteran Ian, portrayed by real-life Diveheart Adaptive Diver Dr. Ian Brown and Diana Simonzadeh playing Carmen. Also there were longtime members of the Diveheart community that will portray characters in the film, including adaptive diver Daniel Barrett (Dan), who is visually impaired; diver Leslye Logan (Lois), portraying a woman living with multiple sclerosis; and Adaptive Dive Buddy Valerie Perona an Nurse Practitioner that will portray Dr. Hannah.
Jim Elliott, president and founder of Diveheart, described the organization’s mission: “We help build confidence, independence, and self-esteem in the lives of children, adults, and veterans with disabilities through scuba diving, scuba therapy, and related activities. It was great for the cast to meet the real adaptive divers.”
Elliott is the author of the original book Sharing Air, which filmmaker David Marsh has reimagined as a narrative feature film. Marsh shared that the central theme of the movie is simple and universal: Life is hard, but together we can do great things.
“Anyone who’s ever gone on a dive trip knows how quickly strangers become family,” Marsh said. “You dive together, eat together, laugh together. Sharing Air is about a group of individuals, each facing different challenges, moving through obstacles and finding their own personal victories through shared experience.”
Production on Sharing Air is currently underway, with principal photography scheduled to begin in early March in Chicago before transitioning to Key Largo and the Florida Keys. The film is expected to wrap production in early April.
For more information go to: https://sharingairmovie.com
Contact: Jim Elliott Founder & President Diveheart Executive Producer Sharing Air Deep Dive Productions Jim.elliott@diveheart.org 630-408-1920