EXCLUSIVE: The documentary Full Circle, on athletes in search of reinvention following traumatic injuries to the spine, has firmed up North American release plans with Abramorama. Directed by Josh Berman of the production company Level 1, the film will hit NYC’s Village East by Angelika on October 20, expanding to L.A.’s Laemmle theaters and across the U.S. and Canada beginning on the 27th.
Berman’s way into examining spinal cord injuries in the athletic world is the story of Trevor Kennison, a recreational snowboarder who broke his back in 2014 and went on to find reinvention as a professional sit-skier. Juxtaposed with it is the tale of Barry Corbet, an intrepid skier, mountaineer, explorer, and filmmaker, who broke his back in a helicopter crash in 1968. Frustrated by a pre-ADA culture that did not accept or support the disabled, Corbet likewise reinvented himself, becoming a seminal leader in the disability community.
Remarkably, the duo are connected not just by traumatic injuries in the Colorado backcountry, but also by experiences of fame in Jackson Hole, rehab at Craig Hospital, and the shared resiliency which meant that neither let their passion for life be limited by their physical challenges. The doc follows Trevor on a path towards post-traumatic growth in parallel with Barry, 50 years later.
World premiering at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in February, Full Circle is produced by Conor Smith, Berman, and Roy Tuscany. Berman also served as an executive producer alongside Kevin and Rosemary McNeely and Andrew Tiner.
Abramorama partners Karol Martesko-Fenster and Richard Abramowitz called the film “an exhilarating portrayal of the impact of Spinal Cord Injury on two men separated by multiple decades,” whose stories are “woven together with finesse.” Continued the duo, “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.”
Berman shared in a statement to Deadline that when he was first approached by documentary subject Kennison 4+ years ago about a potential short film project, he “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.”
COO Martesko-Fenster negotiated the deal for Abramorama, with Pip Ngo of XYZ Films on behalf of Level 1 and the film team.