Fat Chance (film)

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

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

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

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