The documentary on the history of the Paralympics arrives on August 26, 2020. Along with Bebe Vio, many athletes and protagonists of the event
Rising Phoenix is the new Netflix original docu-film that tells the story of the Paralympics and will debut in Italy and other countries where the service is active on August 26. The Paralympic Games are equivalent to the Olympic Games and are designed for athletes with physical disabilities, so they represent parallel Olympics, born in 1960.
The docu-film was announced through the Netflix Italy Twitter profile on July 22, confirming the presence of Bebe Vio, Italian fencer and world and European title holder of the Paralympic individual foil. In addition to being a champion, she represents a real example and with her books and her testimonies today is a model of strength and positivity, which many artists have celebrated, including Jovanotti, who gave her the nickname “magic girl”. So there will be her in the documentary distributed by Netflix, but not only.
Rising Phoenix: the story of the Paralympics, what is it about?
Rising Phoenix: the story of the Paralympics is an accurate and captivating narration of the Paralympic Games. The idea of creating such an event was born several years after the Second World War and has been developed until today: in the new millennium it is the third largest sporting event on the planet. This event has led to the birth of a worldwide movement that has forever changed the way of thinking about disability and diversity, managing to give new perspectives even to those with a physical disability. The first official Paralympics were held in Rome in 1960.
The Netflix original content then tells the origins and events of this beautiful organization and focuses on the stories of the athletes. Among them stands out the Italian Beatrice Mario Vio, for all Bebe Vio, born in 1997. She began practicing fencing at the age of 5. At the end of 2008, when she was 11 years old, she was struck by fulminant meningitis, which caused a serious infection that made it necessary to amputate her forearms and legs.
About a year after the onset of the disease, she resumed her sports activities thanks to a special prosthesis that allowed her to practice fencing, even at a competitive level. Since 2011 she has won the most important national, European and world championships, winning 38 gold medals so far. This year she was supposed to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, which were suspended due to the pandemic. However, we will see her again in the documentary, a unique opportunity to retrace her exciting story. She will be accompanied by other athletes from this world.
Rising Phoenix: athletes and other characters
At the side of BeBe Vio, the documentary will tell the story of athletes from all over the world: Ellie Cole and Ryley Batt (Australia), Matt Stutzman (USA), Cui Zhe (China), Ntando Mahlangu (South Africa), Jean-Baptiste Alaize (France), Jonnie Peacock (UK), Tatyana McFadden (US).
The voice will also be given to those who are or have been involved in the organization of the event, such as Sir Philip Craven, who was President of the International Paralympic Committee from 2001 to 2019. Eva Loeffler, daughter of Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, neurosurgeon and founder of the largest spinal injury hospital in Europe, will also speak. The documentary is directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, among the Executive Produced we find Richard Curtis, Barnaby Spurrier, Godric Smith, Barbara Broccoli and others.
How to watch Rising Phoenix streaming
To see the docu-film you just need to be a Netflix subscriber and connect to the platform from August 26, 2020.
The platform is supported by many devices: you can watch Netflix from smart TV, downloading the appropriate application or from tablets, smartphones and computers. In addition, you can also connect a console to your TV, launch the app, enter your credentials and access your profile. Here there will be the complete catalog available, you just have to find the content and press the Play icon. In just a few seconds you’ll be streaming Rising Phoenix in Italian.