Rising Phoenix, the feature-length documentary released in August 2020 on Netflix, will stand as an important milestone in the Paralympic movement. It’s a high-gloss, dramatic celebration of the power of sport to transform lives. If you have the streaming service at home, it is well worth a couple of hours of your time.
Obviously, it was planned to coincide with the Tokyo competition this year but, of course, we’ll all have to wait another 12 months for that. In the meantime, filmmakers Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui have produced a piece of work that casts para-athletes as literal superhumans. There are a few nods to Marvel movies in this. The subtext is clear; these are the real superheroes.