“Rising Phoenix” producer Harder Than You Think secures rights for Paralympics in Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028; Releases the first teaser for the Tokyo 2020 Docu series

Exclusive: Harder Than You Think, the company behind the Emmy-winning documentary rising phoenix It acquired the exclusive rights to tell the story of the Paralympic Games until 2028.

The agreement between the UK-based HTYT and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) provides exclusive access to the Paralympic Games of the Paris summer of 2024, the Milan-Cortina winter of 2026 and the Paralympic Games of Los Angeles of 2028.

Under the agreement, HTYT will have access to the IPC history and its archive. The agreement includes global AVOD, SVOD and TVOD rights.

“It is an honor for me to tell the story of the Paralympic Games. We are very proud of what we have achieved so far. rising phoenix said Greg Nugent, founder and president of HTYT.

“The expansion of rights now offers us a tremendous opportunity to think of a story that leads to Los Angeles that we all hope will change the game not just for the sport, but for the global attitude towards disability.”

Nugent launched HTYT in 2018 as an intellectual property company with the goal of creating content on big global issues. documentary 2020 rising phoenixFollowing the stories of nine Paralympic athletes, it was his highest profile production to date.

The film premiered in 190 countries on Netflix in August 2020 and the following year won the 2021 Sports Emmy Awards for outstanding long-running sports documentary and outstanding musical direction.

The company followed the feature with a three-part documentary series. Phoenix Rising: Tokyo, of which Deadline may reveal the first trailer (see above). HTYT is currently negotiating with global distributors for its launch.

The news series follows the experiences of 12 Paralympic athletes from 11 countries as they prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The production is directed by Matt Whitecross and Bim Ajad, a pioneer of the British deaf director who has produced a number of groundbreaking works. John Batsek is producing at Ventureland and Jack Thorne is executive producer. About 25% of those who worked in production know a person with a disability.

“Our intention was to follow dozens of athletes from all over the world on the way to the Tokyo 2020 Games. We soon realized that it would be impossible for us or the Paralympic athletes to travel, and when the Games themselves were postponed. by a year, it looked like the project was dead in the water, ”Whitecross said.

“We have had contact with para-athletes from all over the world from places as far away as Iraq, Norway, Canada, Namibia, all with unique and wonderful stories,” he continued. “In the next year and a half, we will follow these incredible athletes through all the ups and downs and all the way to Tokyo.”

The Paralympic crowd has more than doubled over the past decade, with the IPC forecasting a cumulative global audience of 5 billion for the 2028 Los Angeles tournament.

The expansion of the rights partnership with HTYT stems from IPC’s desire to reach an even wider global audience.

“I said during the launch. rising phoenix revolutionary film for the Paralympic movement, and it really is. rising phoenix It is growing the Paralympic Games, attracting new audiences and changing minds and attitudes, ”said IPC President Andrew Parsons.