Rising Phoenix – Passion Pictures

July 26, 2021

‘Rising Phoenix’, a ground-breaking movie about the Paralympic Movement, will premiere in over 190 countries worldwide on Netflix. The film release was planned to coincide with Tokyo 2020 but will now form an important part of the celebrations leading up to the Paralympic Games next year. The film is directed by BAFTA-nominated directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui and produced by John Battsek of two-time Academy Award winning Passion Pictures (One Day in September, Searching for Sugar Man) and Greg Nugent of HTYT Films. 

Rising Phoenix has been shortlisted for Best Sports Documentary at The Grierson Awards 2021!

Producer Barbara Broccoli OBE (James Bond franchise) and BAFTA winning and Academy Award nominated screenwriter Richard Curtis CBE (Yesterday, Love Actually) serve as Executive Producers together with accomplished US Paralympian Tatyana McFadden and former International Paralympic Committee CEO Xavier Gonzalez.

The film charts the story of how one man’s vision that sport can deliver purpose to people with a disability sparked a movement which over half a century has grown into the third biggest event on the planet. The filmmakers blend never-before-seen archive footage through to the extraordinary stories of today’s athletes, leaders and visionaries. A range of renowned Paralympians from around the world appear in the film including Jonnie Peacock MBE (Great Britain), Jean Baptiste Alaize (France), Beatrice “Bebe” Vio (Italy), and Tatyana McFadden (USA).