Catalogue

An intimate portrait of a five year old boy without concept of what it is to see. Kyren Andrews wants to be like the other children in his class, yet he doesn't understand how he's different or why the world is so disorientating. The dangers around him; heights, whizzing cars are all things he hasn't grasped. Much to the worry of his mum, Kyren must leave the safety of home taking his first independent steps... off to primary school. It's an adventure both scary and exhilarating.

When baby Aria was born without a functioning bowel her parents refused to accept the doctor’s prognosis that Aria would die within days. She’s survived to the age of three yet she’s never eaten. She’s been kept alive on nutrition fed directly into her blood stream. But it won’t sustain her much longer… her liver is failing, and her kidneys are weak. She’s been given just weeks to live. They must find millions and uproot their family from New Zealand to the United States; where Aria’s only hope is a rarely preformed and extremely complicated, four organ transplant.

The delightful story of Ben Southern a young boy who has Down Syndrome and is preparing for his ultimate goal – to represent his country at the Special Olympics World Winter Games. Ben introduces us to his daily life and gives viewers fresh insight into a young man living with Down Syndrome.

The story of a young man who has a high level of Cerebral Palsy. Mark Grantham has sold chocolate on the streets of Auckland for almost twenty years. He gives the money to World Vision to support children in Africa. Mark’s high level of disability means he relies on others for round the clock care. But he is determined to travel to Africa and meet his children.

Jonathan Petty is Autistic Savant – a rare talent. Blind from birth Jonathan began playing music such as Chopin from the age of 3 years. His music is truly extraordinary. But Jonathan’s other passion is Sesame Street. He has become obsessed with the series and it has filled many hours when he withdrew from society into his quiet world. We explore Jonathan’s talent, and his world. We fulfilled his dream – taking him to the set of Sesame Street in New York, where he also gets to perform.

Stefan Hadfield was an extreme adventurer who pushed the limits. While skiing in Whistler he careered over a 40-foot cliff and slammed into a tree. The high-speed impact left him unable to walk or talk. A fist-sized portion of his skull was shattered. No one expected he would survive. Two year on, doctors can’t believe the remarkable recovery he has made.

A revealing profile of the men who make up the New Zealand wheelchair rugby team, the Wheel Blacks, winners of the Gold Medal at the Paralympics in Athens (2004). It’s the sport they call Murderball because of it’s pace and intensity. The men explain the accidents that changed their lives and led to their quadriplegia, and the role of sport in restoring their sense of manliness. We follow their team throughout a two year build up to the world champs.

The story of a young Tongan teenager forced to leave her country to seek treatment for an aggressive facial cancer. It documents the repeated, radical surgery she endured to remove that tumour, and it focuses on the ground-breaking surgical techniques – embracing both surgery and engineering that will be used to rebuild her face…and her sense of self.

The intimate story of Nicolette Half, a child with the extremely rare condition Primordial Dwarfism. She stands less than a metre tall and will never grow any taller. We explore her mother’s concerns about what life holds for her.

In Africa pubescent boys are initiated into manhood…bushman style. In Hamilton, New Zealand, boys from the private St Paul’s Collegiate school go into the Pureora Forest for half the school year…six months… a retreat that the school insists is exactly what boys need! This documentary looks at the Tihoi Venture School, St Paul’s own unique formula to address the needs of teenage boys.