DIRECTOR STATEMENT

Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of two, I've had twenty-four years to deal with the reality of my disease. And yet, at 26, occasionally I still need to be reminded to perform my daily physiotherapy and to pack my pills as I head out the door. Oversights that, to me, truth be told, seem like small victories, proof that, no matter its challenges, life will go on, and just some of many such victories to be had.

Looking back over all those years, most good, some trying, two formative memories stand out. The first is of attending the funeral of a similarly afflicted peer, standing there in my too-big suit, confused by all the fuss. My second memory is of playing soccer as a child, intense, competitive matches in the hospital corridors with the other kids, I.V. poles dragging behind us like thin, nagging parents.

In many ways, it is the bitter-sweet nature of these two memories that I've attempted to pay tribute to in the story of Will & Hannah, in the journey they embark on together in search of a miracle. This, because of another early memory, perhaps my fondest memory - the joy of watching movies. Where else can you find a miracle brought to life, fifty feet tall, vivid as a sunrise at your local multiplex? Through this magical medium, I've set out to tell a very personal story, one that, hopefully, will engender the same sense of freedom and inspiration, the tears and the laughter, and most importantly, the same sense of joy and wonder that I once felt, playing soccer beside my friends, I.V. poles clanging behind us, in the CF wing of the Ottawa Children's Hospital.