| Fat Chance | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jeff McKay |
| Written by | Bonnie Dickie |
| Produced by | Charles Konowal Joe MacDonald |
Release date |
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| Country | Canada |
Fat Chance is a 1994 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentary film directed by Jeff McKay about fat acceptance.
The film focuses on Rick Zakowich, a 40-year-old, 400-pound Winnipeg man who sets out to lose half his body weight, but then decides to accept himself the way he is. The film follows Zakowich's journey to self-acceptance, as he goes on to found a self-help group for large-size men and became an activist for fat acceptance. [1] [2]
Director McKay began on the project in 1990, filming for almost two years and editing for almost three years. Originally planned as a half-hour film, Fat Chance was completed as a 72-minute theatrical documentary, then broadcast in a cutdown version. [3]
The film was written by Bonnie Dickie and produced by Charles Konowal and Joe MacDonald for the NFB. [4]
Positive reviews for the film included the Toronto Sun , which called it "a work of intense and moving humanity," and the Montreal Mirror , which said "it's really about all obese people who have marked your memory." [1]
The film received seven awards, including a Peabody Award for its TVOntario broadcast and an Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the advancement of self-respect, dignity, and a better life for fat people, from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. [4] Fat Chance was also nominated for a Genie Award for Best Feature Length Documentary. [2]