Fat Chance (film)

Last updated
Fat Chance
Directed byJeff McKay
Written byBonnie Dickie
Produced byCharles Konowal
Joe MacDonald
Release date
  • 1994 (1994)
CountryCanada

Fat Chance is a 1994 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentary film directed by Jeff McKay about fat acceptance.

Contents

Summary

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]

Production

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]

Reception

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]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Lauerman, Connie (26 March 1995). "In a world obsessed with looks, especially thinness, fat..." Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 A. Edwardsson (July 28, 1995). "Fat Chance". Canadian Materials. 1 (VII).
  3. McKay, Jeff. "Fat Chance". Edgeland Films. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Fat Chance". NFB Collections page. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 15 March 2014.