Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story

All screenings will be presented with open captions, with live captioning for the onstage components during the screenings on September 11 and September 12.

This portrait of a true Canadian icon takes us back to the roots of the disability rights movement and the building of a more accessible world. Produced by homegrown star Ryan Reynolds (TIFF ’25’s John Candy: I Like Me) and helmed by documentarian Adrian Buitenhuis (I Am Burt Reynolds, Anne Murray: Full Circle), Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story is a vital celebration of the magic that arises when athleticism meets activism.

Rick Hansen grew up playing sports, but a car accident at age 15 paralyzed him from the waist down. Remarkably, Hansen turned this life-altering event into a catalyst. He became the first student with a disability to graduate from the University of British Columbia with a degree in physical education, captured national championships in wheelchair volleyball and basketball, and went on to win six Paralympic medals in wheelchair racing. In 1985, galvanized by his friend Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope — the subject of fellow Gala Presentation Run Terry Run — Hansen undertook the 26-month Man in Motion World Tour, traversing 40,075 km across 34 countries in his wheelchair, raising $26 million for the removal of barriers, forever changing public perception of people with disabilities, and inspiring David Foster and John Parr’s massive hit “St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion).”

Incorporating original interviews, personal audio recordings, and rare archival materials, Buitenhuis’ documentary chronicles Hansen’s era-defining tour, as well as his life and activism in the decades since. Man in Motion is about more than overcoming challenges — it’s about meeting life wherever it takes you, and becoming the best version of yourself. 

Content advisory: mature themes