Skip to main content
Man in Motion film image; man using wheelchair down a street in the rain

Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story

This event has passed

Twenty-six months, 34 counties, 40,075 kilometres traversed in a wheelchair, and more than $26 million generated for accessibility initiatives… Four decades later, the statistics surrounding Rick Hansen’s landmark fundraising and advocacy campaign remain staggering. And now, the accomplishments of one of British Columbia’s greatest athletes and activists receive the big screen tribute that they’re due in Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story, an inspiring portrait directed by Adrian Buitenhuis.

Buitenhuis unearths a treasure trove off archival footage that encompasses everything from Hansen’s early exploits as an accomplished wheelchair athlete, to the most gruelling portions of his journey. His long-awaited Vancouver homecoming in 1987 is given new context courtesy of never-before-seen 35mm footage, and Hansen’s audio diaries are shared for the first time, offering fresh insights into his inner journey over the course of two transformative years.

 

Filmmaker Q&A

 

Presented by

      Knowledge Network logo

Showcase Series Supported by

Media Partner

Director
Featuring

Rick Hansen

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2026

Language

English

Film Contact
19+
96 min
BC Spotlight Documentary

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Graeme Barker, Ryan Beedie, Heather Bitter, Erik Dekker, George Dewey, Amar Doman, Dave Doroghy, Ashley Fox, Paul Gertz, Alex Lee, Brie Lee, Johnny Pariseau, Suki Sekhon, Cara Tarbaj, Curtis White, Kent Wingerak, Greg Zeschuk

Producer

Derik Murray, Ryan Reynolds

Cinematography

Ian Kerr

Editor

Graham Kew, Sandro Desaulniers, Freya Maude

Original Music

Edo Vanbreemen, Jeffrey Innes

Adrian Buitenhuis headshot

Adrian Buitenhuis

Adrian Buitenhuis is a Vancouver-based writer, director, and producer specializing in intimate, character-driven documentaries. A former documentary photographer with a Master of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University, Buitenhuis joined forces with Network Entertainment in 2016 and has since written and directed acclaimed profiles of Heath Ledger, Paul Walker, Patrick Swayze, Anne Murray, Burt Reynolds, Suge Knight, and Pablo Escobar. Recent work includes producing and serving as cinematographer for Brats (2024, dir. Andrew McCarthy) and writing, directing, and producing I Am Luke Perry (2025).

Filmography: Anne Murray: Full Circle (2021); Our Time to Be Kind (2024); I Am Luke Perry (2025)

Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre

Possible Love
Possible Love film image; four people standing in a road looking at something

Possible Love

Dir. Lee Chang-dong
164 min

Lee Chang-dong’s first film since Burning (2018) is a sardonic, slow-burning satire about two couples: a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy businessman, and a working-class family struggling to make ends meet after the husband has been laid off.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

The Exorcist

Dir. William Friedkin
121 min

Thirteen-year-old Linda Blair is Regan, the movie star daughter who is possessed by a demon, and whose body becomes a spiritual battleground. It builds slowly, carefully, into a maelstrom of sheer unadulterated horror.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
La Bola Negra
La Bola Negra film image; man playing a trumpet

La Bola Negra

Dir. Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo
155 min

A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
The History of Concrete
The History of Concrete film image; man smoothing just-poured concrete sidewalk

The History of Concrete

Dir. John Wilson
101 min

After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

Dir. William Greaves, David Greaves
100 min

Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

An American Werewolf in London

Dir. John Landis
97 min

Two American students get into a spot of bother with the wildlife in rural England. Then they introduce the virus to the big city... John Landis's goofy horror comedy is a very good night out. So long as it's not a full moon...

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre