Christopher Reeve doccie shows other sides to the hero

The award-winning Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story has among its producers South African Robert Ford. He answers questions about the film, his career and making documentaries

- By Noelle Adams

Although many will be familiar with the real-life story of how Superman star Christopher Reeve was left paralysed from the neck down as a result of a near fatal horse riding accident in 1995, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story offers a moving look at events through never publicly seen home movies, rare archival footage and frank interviews with Reeve's three grownup children and former partner, plus actors (such as Glenn Close and Jeff Daniels) who were Reeve's colleagues and friends.

The documentary bounces in a nonlinear fashion between events before and after the injury, which turned the already driven Reeve into an advocate for disability rights. But it's these unusually intimate, unfiltered segments that add extra emotional charge to the film. If you can make it through Super/Man without tearing up at least once, you need to pick up some Q20 for your mechanical innards.

The film is directed by McQueen and Rising Phoenix documentary makers Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, and produced by South African Robert Ford.

Born and raised in Wellington, Western Cape, Ford emigrated to the UK in 1997, aged 18, to study filmmaking. He worked his way through various roles, such as assistant editor and camera operator, before making his name as a production manager and then documentary producer, delving into the life stories of several Paralympics. It was this final project that connected Ford with Super/Man's writer-directors. Ford speaks about his work on the film.

Noelle Adams: How did Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story come about, because it feels like it was facing so many hurdles, from family participation to buy-in from Warner Bros... So what was the order that the pieces fell into place?