?     Sky Atlantic to showcase the world’s best documentary film makers in a variety of commissioned, acquired and co-produced feature length films

?     The Crash Reel to be given its UK premiere at the Sheffield Doc/Fest in June 

“An enthralling, exciting and subtly moving documentary”

Screen Daily

“Aided by excellent footage of half-pipe action and intimate participation of Pearce’s protective family, director Lucy Walker pulls off a spectacular feat of her own, balancing the needs of extreme sports vid and cautionary tale”

Variety

London (9^th May 2013): THE CRASH REEL, the eye-popping, yet intimate story of American champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce is the latest addition to SKY ATLANTIC HD’s forthcoming documentary feature film strand.

THE CRASH REEL, whichopened this year’s Sundance Film Festival to huge critical acclaim, will receive its UK premiere at the upcoming Sheffield Doc/Fest alongside a Q&A with the film’s two-time Academy Award nominated director, Lucy Walker. A further London premiere will take place at the BFI on the 14th June and the strand will premiere exclusively to Sky customers later this year.

A hot contender for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Pearce took a massive fall during a training run on the half-pipe, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury. His tight-knit Vermont family flew to his side, and helped him rebuild his shattered life. Kevin’s determination and the unstinting support of family and friends meant he made huge strides in his recovery, but when he insisted he wanted to return to the sport he loved, his family objected, knowing that even a small blow to the head could kill him.

Using years of verité footage, Lucy Walker sets out to expose the potentially high price of participating in extreme action sports and sheds light on the alarming trend of athletes pushing the boundaries of their sports past the limit in their pursuit of sporting glory. What price do we pay for our passions? Just how much risk is too much?

THE CRASH REEL joins Nick Broomfield’s SOUTH CENTRAL (w/t), AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY, Beeban Kidron’s IN REAL LIFE (w/t) and Errol Morris’s THE UNKNOWN KNOWN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DONALD RUMSFELD. Further additions to the line-upwill be announced in due course.

Elaine Pyke, Director of SKY ATLANTIC HD, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to add Lucy Walker’s extraordinary film to our forthcoming documentary films strand. I defy you to watch THE CRASH REEL and not find yourself emotionally attached to Kevin Pearce and his amazing family. We’re setting out to tell iconic stories that grip and with the four films already on this wonderful slate, the season is shaping up to be one of the best collections of documentary films, from some greatest storytellers in the world.”

The new strand will showcase the world’s best documentary filmmakers in a variety of commissioned, acquired and co-produced feature length documentary films. Up to twelve peak time landmark documentaries will form the backbone of the strand. With the ambition for SKY ATLANTIC HD to become the home of world-class documentary films and film makers, the brief is out to the world’s best documentary makers to come to the channel with bold ideas.

Projects will be commissioned and acquired exclusively for Sky customers and will receive their TV premieres on SKY ATLANTIC HD.  To make it easier for customers to access the new films, each production will be made available to Sky Atlantic customers via Sky’s on demand services, as well as through Sky’s multiplatform TV service Sky Go, offering customers greater choice over when, where and how they watch.

Notes to editor

For more information please contact:

Lesley Land

Sky Atlantic

T: +44 (0)20 7032 0676                                   

M: +44 (0)7788 168 760

lesley.land@bskyb.com

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