Going the Distance (1979 film)
Going the Distance is a 1979 Canadian documentary film directed by Paul Cowan about the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, and produced by Robert Verrall and Jacques Bobet, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[1][2]
Going the Distance | |
---|---|
Directed by | Paul Cowan |
Written by | Paul Cowan |
Produced by | Jacques Bobet Robert Verrall |
Narrated by | Michael Kane |
Distributed by | National Film Board of Canada |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | $840,000 |
Cowan, who had been chosen for the project on the basis of his previous sports specials, shot most of the film himself, delegating second-unit segments to Reevan Dolgoy, Georges Dufaux, Beverly Shaffer, Pierre Letarte and Tony Westman. Cowan chose to focus on eight athletes from four continents, including four Canadians: Toronto boxer John Raftery, thirteen-year-old Winnipeg gymnast Monica Goermann, and divers Linda Cuthbert and Janet Nutter. Also featured was New Zealand weightlifter Precious McKenzie. Athletes were filmed prior to the Games as well as in competition at the games in Edmonton.[3][4]
The film had a budget of $840,000 (equivalent to $2,973,600 in 2021).[5] Its broadcast premiere was on the CTV Television Network on August 4, 1979.[4]
Awards
- C.I.D.A.L.C. International Festival of Sports Films, Torino: First Prize, Gold Plaque, 1982
- Commonwealth Television and Film Festival, Nicosia: Best Film of the Festival, 1980
- 52nd Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Documentary Feature, 1980[6]
References
- "The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- "NY Times: Going the Distance". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
- "Going the Distance". Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- Hicks, Wessely (July 28, 1979). "Going the Distance". TV Times, Montreal Gazette. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- Evans 1991, p. 263.
- "Going the Distance". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
Works cited
- Evans, Gary (1991). In the National Interest: A Chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802027849.