Mighty Jerome Tagline

Mighty Jerome Tagline: The greatest comeback in track and field history. Short synopsis: From acclaimed filmmaker Charles Officer comes the story of the rise, fall and redemption of Harry Jerome, track and field star and one of Canada’s greatest athletes. Gorgeous monochrome imagery, impassioned interviews and astonishing archival footage are used to tell the compelling story of what Jerome’s coach, the legendary Bill Bowerman, called “the greatest comeback in track and field history.” Mid-length synopsis: From acclaimed filmmaker Charles Officer comes the story of the rise, fall and redemption of Harry Jerome, track and field star and one of Canada’s greatest athletes. Jerome’s life and career were riddled with both triumph and tribulation, but he ultimately proved himself a champion both on and off the track. Gorgeous monochrome imagery, impassioned interviews and astonishing archival footage are used to tell the triumphant story of what Jerome’s coach, the legendary Bill Bowerman, called “the greatest comeback in track and field history.” Compelling, surprising and urgently paced, Mighty Jerome will electrify sports fans, history buffs and all those with an appreciation for tales of courage and achievement. Long synopsis: In 1959, at just nineteen years of age, Harry Jerome was Canada’s most promising track and field star and he was on his way to the Olympics in Rome. By 1962, after suffering a gruesome leg injury, there was every reason to think that his racing days were over. But Jerome was not just a champion on the track; he was doubly determined off it. And so began his climb to what his coach, the legendary Bill Bowerman, called “the greatest comeback in track and field history.” Through years of unparalleled political turbulence, racial conflict and his own personal challenges, Harry Jerome kept his head down and ran, displaying strength of character and willful perseverance every bit as impressive as his record-setting athleticism. Filmmaker Charles Officer uses gorgeous monochrome imagery, impassioned interviews and astonishing archival footage to tell the runner’s triumphant story, from his early days in North Vancouver, through his three Olympics and his unequalled streak of records, to his sudden and tragically premature death. Family, friends and teammates recall a man who forever changed the Canadian sports landscape and made an indelible mark upon the world. Compelling, surprising and urgently paced, Mighty Jerome will electrify sports fans, history buffs and all those with an appreciation for tales of courage and redemption. Biography of Harry Jerome: Harry Winston Jerome was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in 1940 and soon moved with his family to North Vancouver, B.C. He showed remarkable athletic ability through his high school days, and by the age of 18 he’d broken the Canadian record for the 220 yd sprint. A year later, when he ran the 100 m in 9.2 seconds, he became the first Canadian to hold a world track record. Jerome completed a master’s degree in physical education but instead of teaching he opted to join the Canadian Olympic team. Triumph followed triumph but soon the runner was hit with a series of injuries that, more than once, appeared to signal the end of his career. However, guided by his motto of “Don’t give up,” Jerome managed to confound the naysayers and continue to break world records and collect medals in competition. In 1970, after a decade-long stint at the top, he retired from the striped oval, and the year after that he was awarded the Order of Canada for his achievements. He used his accolades and experience to motivate younger competitors strive for excellence. In 1982, at the age of 42, Harry Jerome died of a brain aneurysm. Bios of key creative personnel: Charles Officer, director Charles Officer grew up in Toronto and made his first short film, When Morning Comes, in 2000. The film debuted to great acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival, and soon, through his participation in the Directors’ Lab at the Canadian Film Centre, he made a second film, Short Hymn_Silent War, which received a Special Jury Citation at TIFF and a Genie nomination. In 2005, Charles developed and directed the television pilot Hotel Babylon for Vision Television, and collaborated with K’Naan on the video clip Strugglin’. In 2007, the Canadian reggae-punk band Bedouin Soundclash commissioned Charles to direct a documentary intended to accompany the release of their 2007 album Street Gospels. That same year Charles directed two episodes of the Global television series Da Kink In My Hair. His first feature film, Nurse.Fighter.Boy, premiered at the 2008 TIFF, and saw distribution in Canada, the US and internationally. The film garnered ten nominations at the Genie Awards, winning for Best Original Song. Charles was named one of “10 to Watch” by Playback magazine and was the recipient of the 2009 Ontario Premier’s Emerging Artist Award. Charles is currently developing a new feature, a crime thriller titled Akilla’s Escape, slated for production in 2011. Selwyn Jacob, producer Selwyn Jacob joined the National Film Board in 1997. The Vancouver-based producer’s most recent projects include This Land, Baljit Sangra’s Warrior Boyz, and River of Life directed by Werner Walcher. He also produced Jeni LeGon: Living in a Great Big Way and the Leo Award-winning The Journey of Lesra Martin. His most recent work includes producing The Visit, by director Lisa Jackson, and When You Give of Yourself by acclaimed filmmaker Lynne Stopkewich. Prior to joining the NFB, Jacob was an independent producer and director for more than fifteen years. Director interview: Had you known much about Harry Jerome before starting to make this film? I knew a little bit about him. I was actually someone’s date at the Harry Jerome Awards in 2003. I’d heard a very little bit about him before that – I knew he was a track and field athlete – but I didn’t know the extent of what he’d accomplished. And then I went to these awards and got to hear a lot more. I was, like, wow, this guy is really phenomenal! And I was really surprised that I hadn’t known that much about him. The journey, obviously, has taken me deeper into other aspects, and it’s great to learn about great Canadian heroes. It’s been really cool. What was the path from learning about Harry Jerome to wanting to make a movie about him? It wasn’t very difficult. The moment I had a meeting with Selwyn [Jacob] about making the film, I really just felt completely connected. What I saw instantly was something where I knew I’d be learning throughout the process, and I’d be making some discoveries as well. That’s kind of a dream project for any filmmaker. And the subject matter of track and field, and the imagery, for me personally, of a black man who ran fast, and the metaphors that are connected with running, and pertain to freedom… Selwyn had optioned the rights to the book by Fil Fraser [Running Uphill: The Fast, Short Life of Canadian Champion Harry Jerome] with the National Film Board, and that was what got him into seeking out a director for the film, which brought him to meeting me. How did your background as a professional athlete influence your telling of the story? It did in many ways. A lot of personal ways. When you’re making a film, you become a filter between your own personal place and what the subject matter is, and then the audience you’re trying to present it to. It may be subtle, but I realize that in all sports and achievements like that, there’s still this personal, non-sport aspect to it all. Just the spirit of an individual. I learned, through my experience in sport, what it actually takes to get to a certain place. I didn’t get to that place that I imagined I would. So when it came to the concept of “what is a quitter?” it really made me question that personal thing, and how the public can see this man [Jerome]. I know what it means to quit, because I felt like that’s what I actually did when it came to my own sporting experience. That’s not in the film because it’s not about me, but that was where I was trying to find this place of not just blaming, say, the media. I was trying to get into the spirit of the individual rather than the media’s reaction to him. So my sports experience helped me to ask certain questions and to sympathize, or empathize, in a certain way with being in the position of having a lot of expectations on you. I didn’t have the mental capacity to get through it. It wasn’t physical. Although my injury was physical, [the challenge] was psychological. For Harry, they were saying it was psychological when in fact it was physical. So I found those things interesting for me. As a director of narrative films, how did you approach this, your first feature-length documentary? I tried to approach it in a narrative way, because it was the only way that I knew how to work. I believe that all documentaries are storytelling, and cinematically it should follow that. I did it as an investigative process, going out and finding people and shooting interviews while I was developing the treatment. And I wanted to present these people who I’d found, who were close to Harry Jerome, in a sort of portraiture, in black and white.

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