MURDERBALL

This is a story about gladiators. They are men who push their bodies to the limits, not only to master their sport but also to prove themselves in a mobile world. Murderball, a.k.a. quad rugby, is a fiercely competitive and violent sport played by quadriplegics in armored steel wheelchairs that look more like battle gear than transportation. The team members have larger-than-life personalities but have all suffered injuries that have left them with limited function in all four limbs. More mobile players handle the ball, while more impaired ones are better at defensive blocking. Steel brutally collides with steel, and players sometimes knock each other over.

MURDERBALL follows several athletes in their struggle to adapt to their new reality, relearning everything they knew--from grocery shopping to driving to having sex. Their goal: to win the gold medal in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens.

Joe, head coach for the Canadian team, was an award-winning American player for over 10 years, but defected after being forced into retirement in the US. His goal is to coach Team Canada to a victory against undefeated Team USA, led by the razor-sharp, goatee-wearing, tattoo-laden Mark Zupan.

This gripping story of international competition will crush stereotypes about life as a quadriplegic. Both raucous and cinematic, it is an all-access pass into the athletes' lives as they find outlets for their competitive spirits. It is about revenge, coming of age and learning what it really means to be a man.

Amy King

As a documentary filmmaker, Henry Alex Rubin made the award-winning WHO IS HENRY JAGLOM?, with Candice Bergen and Dennis Hopper, and FREESTYLE, with Mos Def, The Roots and J5, which was recently picked up by Palm Pictures after winning Best Documentary at the Woodstock and Urbanworld Film Festival. Additionally, he directed the second-unit on several films including COP LAND and GIRL INTERRUPTED. He is currently directing a mockumentary starring Winona Ryder.

Dana Adam Shapiro is a former senior editor at SPIN, and a contributor to The New York Times Magazine and other publications. His first novel, The Every Boy, will be published by Houghton Mifflin in July. A movie version is in development at Plan B. MURDERBALL is his first film.

Print Source:
Wendy Smith
Tel: 646.293.9400
Email: wsmith@thmkfilmcompany.com

Friday 6/17 at 7:15 p.m.

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