A fresh documentary trailer highlighting unseen footage of Terry Fox was unveiled today, a month ahead of its debut at the renowned Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Titled “Run Terry Run,” the documentary offers a glimpse into the 1980 Marathon of Hope undertaken by the British Columbia athlete and cancer research advocate, utilizing nearly 100 recently discovered reels of archival footage.
The trailer showcases discussions and insights from key figures such as van driver and friend Doug Alward, Terry Fox’s younger brother Darrell Fox, and Terry Fox himself as he embarked on his ambitious journey to run across Canada after losing his leg to osteogenic sarcoma at 21 years old. In a poignant moment from the trailer, Fox expresses his thoughts on home and his determination to continue his mission.
Director Sean Menard of Toronto obtained the original footage from filmmaker John Simpson, who had previously assumed it had been discarded after creating his own documentary in 1981. Menard, known for his past work on the self-funded MuchMusic documentary “299 Queen Street West,” was driven by the scarcity of high-quality visuals on Fox’s marathon and, with support from the Terry Fox Foundation, located the footage in a storage unit close to his residence.
After meticulously restoring the film reels to 4K quality, Menard utilized them to craft his documentary, which premiered at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall the previous year. The film, as reviewed by Canadian Running, focuses on authentic voiceovers from individuals like Alward, Darrell Fox, Leslie Scrivener, and Darryl Sittler, eschewing typical interview formats.
Terry Fox commenced his historic run on April 12, 1980, aiming to traverse from St. John’s to Victoria before halting near Thunder Bay, Ontario, due to the spread of cancer to his lungs. Despite his untimely passing in 1981, Fox’s marathon raised over $24 million at the time, equivalent to $1 from each Canadian. Recently, the Terry Fox Foundation surpassed a remarkable $1 billion in funds for cancer research.
Over the years, Fox has been the subject of various documentaries, including “The Terry Fox Story” in 1983 and ESPN’s “Into the Wind” in 2010. Notably, in 2024, the Bank of Canada announced plans to feature Fox on the upcoming $5 banknote.
Menard highlighted the transformative journey of Terry Fox in his film, portraying the evolution of a young individual embarking on a monumental quest and adapting to global attention while challenging his boundaries. The documentary, featuring an original score by composer Tom Caffey, is set to premiere at TIFF on September 19, preceding the 46th annual Terry Fox Run, with a theatrical release scheduled for October 9, 2026.