presents
presents
Featured on:
“…257 Down, a film focused on patience, endurance, and courage, to raise awareness about individuals who experience barriers in our society and inspire them, as well as open public discussion about this vital subject matter…a great example of how we
can progress as a contemporary society.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Portions of proceeds to Sunnybrook Hospital’s Veterans Comfort Fund
RELEASED FEBRUARY 24 2023
Trailer
“A very beautiful film.”
Hilltop Film Festival of Diversity and Inclusion
FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS:
September 28, 2020 : Hilltop Film Festival of Diversity and Inclusion
(Birmingham, Alabama)
November 5, 2020 : Festival Angaelica Film Festival
(Pasadena, California)
November 26, 2020 : Hildago Film Festival
(Hildago, Mexico)
November 30, 2020 : SHORT to the Point
(Bucharest, Romania)
December 5, 2020 : EduFilm Fest
(Prešov, Slovakia)
December 13, 2020 : Madrid Human Rights Film Festival
(Madrid, Spain)
March 8-12, 2021 : Real Teal Film Festival
(University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC)
March 19-20, 2021 : Catalyst Film Festival
(Limerick, Ireland)
September 18, 2021 : Toronto Motorcycle Film Festival - BUY TICKETS
(Toronto, Canada)
September 30, 2021 : Seize The Film - Films about Disability Film Festival
(Novi Sad, Serbia)
September 23, 2022 : Dubai Motorcycle Film Festival
(Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
Synopsis
For Alex Abbott, the moment of truth came when his dirt bike landed on his head and broke his neck.
Abbott had been a winning dirt bike freestyle rider. Now he was a quadriplegic.
During the months Abbott lay immobilized in hospital, the notion of ever getting back on his bike seemed so remote he barely gave it any real thought.
But ten years later, with the help of friends and family, Abbott is on the verge of finding his way back onto two wheels.
'257 Down' is a documentary film about patience, endurance and courage.
It is a story that will inspire people of all abilities to follow their dreams, no matter how inaccessible they might seem.
Portions of proceeds to Sunnybrook Hospital’s Veterans Comfort Fund
Contact
David Porteous is an award-winning Canadian documentary filmmaker, musician, and audio/video engineer. Porteous directed, edited and wrote the music for 257 Down. Porteous' WWII documentary "War Music" premiered in Scotland and was featured on the BBC, CBC, and various other media outlets.
As a long-time supporter of accessibility, Porteous volunteered his time to organize fundraisers and raised over $10,000 for the Canadian accessibility-focused charity StopGap Foundation, which equates to the cost of building over 40 wheelchair ramps. In 2015, Porteous released the world's first music video for the Deaf, a music video that affords the deaf community a rare opportunity to visually enjoy a song and see how modern music is recorded.
©2023 PORTEOUS MEDIA / David Porteous
Alex Abbott is a Canadian former competitive and winning dirt bike racer. Abbott has spent a great deal of his time giving back to the community after a life-changing spinal cord injury during a routine practice for a dirt bike competition.
Abbott has since become a notable public speaker in an effort to provide guidance, support, and direction for those with accessibility needs, as well as supporting marginalized and at-risk youth.
His previous speaking engagements include supporting the Rick Hansen Foundation, multiple Sunnybrook Hospital programs, the Brookside Youth Centre, the P.A.R.T.Y. program and various high schools across Ontario.