GLEASON

"Gleason is a remarkable feat. This doc by Clay Tweel, the director of last year's hilarious oddity Finders Keepers … is ultimately a moving tale of heroism and selfless love." – POV magazine

Filmmaker Clay Tweel (Finders Keepers, MIFF 2015; Print the Legend, MIFF 2014) profiles the raw and emotion-charged journal of a professional athlete as he attempts to reconcile his role as father, husband and son while living with a terminal illness.

At only 180cm tall and 96kg, Steve Gleason had no business succeeding in the NFL. However, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, he became a living metaphor for New Orleans and its people. His never-say-die attitude saw him earn a place on the New Orleans Saints playing roster to make the match-winning play against arch-rivals Atlanta in their first post-Katrina match. Five years later, Gleason was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; also known as Motor Neurone Disease) and given two to five years to live. He vowed to live life to the fullest, despite his crippling illness, recording personal video diaries for his then-unborn son.

Featuring music from Pearl Jam's Mike McCready (and an interview with the band's frontman, Eddie Vedder), Gleason is more than just an against-the-odds documentary: it is a celebration of activism and an unvarnished story of loving family relationships stretched beyond breaking point.

Winner of the Audience Award (Festival Favorites) at this year's SXSW.

"Clay Tweel could make a compelling and affecting documentary about anything, it seems. This one … proves again that he's brilliant at balancing the devastating and the hilarious, no matter which is at the forefront." – Nonfics