Kyle Bryant, FARA national spokesman and founder of Ride Ataxia, led a team in a legendary bike ride across America in 2010. When Redwood Creek Entertainment filmmakers Kevin Schlanser and Zack Bennett found out about Kyle’s intentions to participate in the grueling Race Across America, they decided to follow Kyle and create a feature-length documentary titled, “The Ataxian.” The film gives viewers an inside look into the struggles of completing one of “the world’s toughest bike races.” The World Premiere of the film is on Saturday, June 6th, at the Dances With Films festival in Hollywood, CA, at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters. Schlanser and Bennett say, “Our hope is that anyone in this world that is faced with any sort of challenge or obstacle will watch ‘The Ataxian’ and be inspired by the knowledge that if Kyle Bryant can do what he is doing, anything is possible.”
About “The Ataxian” How would you react to a debilitating and fatal illness? In “The Ataxian,” one man shows the world that it is possible to take action and find hope under even the most life threatening and daunting of circumstances. At age 17, Kyle Bryant was diagnosed with the relatively unknown progressive neuromuscular disease, Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA), for which there is no medication, nor cure. As Kyle lost his ability to play his favorite sports and even walk, he began biking long distances in a specially outfitted “trike.” When he is finally relegated to a wheel chair, Kyle decides that enough is enough. He enlists the help of three friends, Sean (who also has FA), John and Mike, and they embark on the “world’s toughest bike race,” the Race Across America (RAAM). In this feature-length documentary, filmmakers and childhood friends, Kevin Schlanser and Zack Bennett, capture what is a grueling 9-day non-stop journey for anyone—much less someone with an energy-depriving affliction—that starts in Oceanside, CA, ending in Annapolis, MD. What happens along the way inspires hope in the hearts of other families battling FA and nurtures a movement, known as rideATAXIA. Set to an incredible soundtrack featuring Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, Belle Brigade and others, the audience accompanies Kyle and his relay bike team through magnificent sweeping landscapes and the unbreakable spirit of a life-changing cross-country trip that shows: life is about how we react. In anticipation and support of this incredible story, please join us in spreading the word. You can follow the film’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/theataxian or find the film on Twitter at @TheAtaxian. For more information about the film, go to www.theataxianmovie.com.