Abramorama Acquires Inspiring True Story of Snowboarder Trevor Kennison, Alpinist Barry Corbet
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- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Friday, 01 September 2023 12:44
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
Abramorama announced they have acquired the North American theatrical rights for the inspiring feature-length documentary Full Circle, an unblinking examination of the challenges of Spinal Cord Injury, and a celebration of the growth that such tragedy can catalyze.
A story of redemption, perseverance and the triumph of the human spirit, the film is an in-depth look at the lives of adaptive athletes as told through the transformative journey of recreational snowboarder Trevor Kennison, who broke his back in 2014 and went on to find reinvention as a professional sit-skier.
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Full Circle is an unblinking examination of the challenges of Spinal Cord Injury, and a celebration of the growth that such tragedy can catalyze. Abramorama will release the film at Village East by Angelika on October 20th and will expand to the Laemmle theaters in Los Angeles and across the United States and Canada beginning October 27th. The deal was negotiated by Abramorama's COO Karol Martesko-Fenster and Pip Ngo of XYZ Films on behalf of Level 1 and the film team.
The film premiered to audience and critical reaction at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2023, and has since played numerous festivals, including Mountainfilm Festival and the upcoming Breckenridge Film Festival. Positive acclaim includes: Skaher, Samman, Apple News, "Trevor Kennison's story is raw and human. It's joyful, sure, but at times it's painful – something this film thankfully does not shy away from," and Paralympic Champion Josh Dueck, "As an athlete, amateur historian, and person with a disability who loves ski culture, the filmmakers nailed this."
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Faced with a traumatic injury that renders you permanently disabled; how would you reinvent yourself? In 2014, Trevor Kennison's life was forever altered by a broken back - for worse and for better, in equal measures. Barry Corbet, an intrepid skier, mountaineer, explorer, filmmaker, and Jackson Hole legend, broke his back in a helicopter crash in 1968. Frustrated by a pre-ADA culture that did not accept or support the disabled, Barry reinvented himself, becoming a seminal leader in the disability community.
Full Circle follows Trevor on a path towards post-traumatic growth in parallel with Barry, 50 years later. Their stories mirror each other, connected through time and space by common locations and motifs; injuries in the Colorado backcountry, rehab at Craig Hospital, fame in Jackson Hole; but also, through their shared resiliency and refusal to let their passion for life be limited by their injuries. Full Circle is both an unblinking examination of the challenges of life after spinal cord injury, and a celebration of the opportunity for growth that such a tragedy can present.
Abramorama partners Karol Martesko-Fenster and Richard Abramowitz said, "An exhilarating portrayal of the impact of Spinal Cord Injury on two men separated by multiple decades. Their stories are woven together with finesse, and director Josh Berman created a powerful film that honors Barry Corbet's legacy and provides a profoundly affecting cinema experience as we follow Trevor Kennison's journey. We are thrilled to be collaborating with the Level 1 team, and the film's many supporters, on the big screen theatrical launch of Full Circle."
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Director Josh Berman added, "I was first approached by Trevor over 4 years ago with the idea of producing a short film about returning to the site of his accident. I knew right away that the story deserved to be bigger than that… but none of us realized the full depth of what we would uncover. It's been quite a journey, and the end result is a film that I truly believe will impact the lives of viewers, young and old, able-bodied and disabled alike, and we're grateful to be working with Abramorama's team on our theatrical release."
Full Circle was filmed on location across North America, supplementing keystone cinéma vérité scenes with key interviews from Trevor's family, Barry's family, and others in the Spinal Cord Injury community. While the production team for Full Circle is able-bodied, the producers have taken great care to ensure that the film represents the experience of living with Spinal Cord Injury fully, accurately, and honestly. Key partners in this effort have been the teams at New Mobility Magazine, High Fives Foundation, and Craig Hospital, who have helped vet the film and coordinate test screenings with dozens of Spinal Cord Injury survivors.
Bringing the ethos of the film into practice Primetime Emmy-nominated composer Mark Crawford ("The Social Dilemma") chose to work with musicians living with disabilities for the live instrumentation of the score. Mark assembled an all-star team, including Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Howk of Portugal. The Man, world-renowned jazz pianist Justin Kauflin, percussionist Jason Barnes, trumpet player Patrick Henry Hughes, virtuoso violinist Brian Krinke, and members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, with orchestrator Jeff Kryka preparing the score. Additionally, Eric Howk wrote and recorded a custom song for the credits of the film, titled "What I Am." Very much autobiographical, the song brings Eric's voice into the film in more ways than one, speaking directly to his life experience as a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair.
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FULL CIRCLE (USA, 104 Minutes, English – Unrated) Abramorama presents a Level 1 Production in association with XYZ Films. Starring Trevor Kennison and introducing the legacy of Barry Corbet. Executive Producers Josh Berman, Kevin and Rosemary McNeely, Andrew Tiner. Creative Director George "Schui" Bauman. Original Score Composed by Mark Crawford. Director of Photography Josh Berman. Edited by Thomas Crandall, Josh Berman. Produced by Conor Smith, Josh Berman, Roy Tuscany. Directed by Josh Berman. An Abramorama North American theatrical release. www.fullcirclefilm.co.
