Murderball is a 2005 American documentary about athletes who are physically disabled [1] who play wheelchair rugby . It centers on the rivalry between the Canadian and US teamsleading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games . It was directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro , and produced by Jeffrey V. Mandel and Shapiro. It was nominated for theBest Documentary Feature for the 78th Academy Awards . [2] Murderball Was the first MTV movie released through ThinkFilm as well asParticipant Media .
UN screening
The film was screened at the United Nations uncut. One of its stars, Mark Zupan , winced when describing how embarrassed he was to have his mother hears about the lives of people with quadriplegia .
Production
Murderball was shot on a low budget. The main camera used was a Panasonic AG-DVX100 ; a Sony PD150 Was used to shoot Reviews some of the early interviews. The crew rigged Sennheiser shotgun microphone to use a boom, and relied heavily on Lavaliere wireless microphones as well. Available lighting was used almost exclusively. Additional light was provided using an inexpensive china ball . In one example of on-the-spot lighting, a flashlight was diffused using only a napkin. [3]
Reception
Murderball garnered almost universally positive reviews; it currently holds a 98% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes . [4] This film is also # 1 on the Rotten Tomatoes countdown of the top sports movies. [5] Murderball also received positive reviews from Hollywood.com [6] and Roger Ebert , who said “This is one of those rare docs, like Hoop Dreams , where life provides a better ending than the filmmakers could have hoped for.” [7]
Awards
| Award | Category | Container | result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance Film Festival Audience Award | Best Documentary Feature | Won | |
| 78th Academy Awards | Best Documentary Feature | Nominated | |
| Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Audience Award | Best Feature | Won | |
| Indianapolis International Film Festival Audience Award | Best Feature Movie | Won | |
| Best Non-Fiction Movie | Won |
References
- Jump up^ “A layperson’s guide to wheelchair rugby classification” (PDF) . International Wheelchair Rugby Federation . Retrieved 2013-01-30 .
- Jump up^ “NY Times: Murderball” . NY Times . Retrieved 2008-11-23 .
- Jump up^ “Murderball + Monster Man”. Double Feature. June 4, 2009
- Jump up^ Murderball atRotten Tomatoes
- Jump up^ TopRotten TomatoesSports Movies18 November 2010
- Jump up^ Murderball (2005) Hollywood.com
- Jump up^ Ebert, Roger(July 21, 2005). “Murderball”. rogerebert.com.