Company: Cool Earth Productions
Country: USA
Section: DOCUMENTARY INDIVIDUAL SPORT
Discipline: Boxing
Year: 2015
Director: Felice Leeds
Editing: Felice Leeds
Actors: Bud Collins, Dr. Ann McKee, Mike Silver, Tony DeMarco, Dan Cuoco, Richard Johnson, Michael Dukakis
Photography: Bennett Leeds
Soundtrack: Chad Rehmann
Voice Off: Mary Babbitt
Producer: Bennett Leeds
Coproducer: Felice Leeds
Time: 64 min
Projection: Thursday 17 November – 15.00 – Sala Parlamentino
Watch the trailer
Synopsis
It begins as a classic tale of a boxer overcoming physical adversity to become World Middleweight Champion. But there is much more to Paul Pender’s story. He was misdiagnosed as having Alzheimer’s, but after his death doctors discovered he suffered from CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a debilitating disease that’s at the forefront of contact sports today. Paul’s disease was so severe that his brain became the “index case”, that is the brain against which all others are compared. Paul’s story serves as both a cautionary tale for what can happen when athletes aren’t properly cared for, as well as a fitting tribute for a man who was known for his intelligence in and outside of the ring.