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| OMNI airs "Can't Stop/Won't Stop" doc on Wheelchair Rugby |
| Posted
on Friday, July 31, 2009 - 03:43 PM |
OMNI Television is proud to present the world television premiere of Can’t Stop/Won’t Stop as part of its Signature Series. This 60 minute documentary launches to English speaking audiences on OMNI stations as follows:
Ontario – OMNI2 (CJMT-TV)
Monday, August 10th @ 3:30pm ET
Calgary – OMNI in Calgary (CJCO-TV) AND Edmonton – OMNI in Edmonton (CJEO-TV)
Sunday, August 16th @ 10:00PM MT
Vancouver, Victoria – OMNI in BC (CHNM-TV)
Sunday, August 16th @ 8:00PM PT
From Toronto-based JR6 Productions, Can’t Stop/Won’t Stop follows Ian Chan and other elite Canadian Wheelchair Rugby athletes as they work for the chance to compete at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
Chan, co-captain of the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby team, was introduced to the sport as part of his rehabilitation, following a motorcycle accident that left him a quadriplegic at age 15. The documentary’s title, Can’t Stop/Won’t Stop refers to a mantra Ian Chan repeats to himself while training and is the motto for his life.
“I’d worked with Paralympic sports and Paralympic athletes previously and yet it was “Murderball,” an American film on Wheelchair Rugby that sparked my curiosity to know more about what is actually a Canadian invention,” says Joe Recupero, Producer/Director/Writer of Can’t Stop/Won’t Stop. “The need for this story to be told was obvious -- and fortunately, OMNI Television came to the table with 100% funding from their Independent Producers’ Initiative. Without their assistance this project would not have been possible.”
Wheelchair Rugby was created and developed in Winnipeg over 30 years ago. A group of five quadriplegics led by Ian Chan’s recreational therapist and mentor, Duncan Campbell, began “chucking a volleyball around at each other” (hence the name “Murderball”) as part of their physical rehabilitation. They used volleyball and some of the rules from rugby, basketball and hockey to come up with an alternative to Wheelchair Basketball -- which requires a level of hand function that many quadriplegics do not have.
“Can’t Stop/Won’t Stop tells a story of triumph over adversity in a real-life Canadian context that reflects diversity in its many facets,” says Madeline Ziniak, National Vice President of OMNI Television. “OMNI is pleased to support Joe Recupero’s project for its inspirational portrayal of Canada’s spirit, athleticism and ingenuity, especially as we count down to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”
The sport of Wheelchair Rugby is actually the only Paralympic or Olympic sport that has Heritage status – i.e., created in Canada -- as none of the able-bodied sports that have been named as Heritage Sports are Olympic sports.
The next big challenge for Ian Chan and his teammates on Canada's National Wheelchair Rugby team will be the 2010 World Championships in Richmond, B.C.
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop was exclusively funded through OMNI's Independent Producers Initiative, a $32.5 million independent production fund that to date has supported over 200 new documentary programmes. Interested producers can access funding criteria at OMNI Television’s web site www.OMNItv.ca .
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