A documentary film on openly gay
Olympic diver Greg Louganis will premiere next month at the AFI DOCS
Film Festival in Washington, D.C.
Back on Board: Greg Louganis
follows Louganis over the past three years as he reunites with the
sport that he once dominated.
“With unprecedented access Back on
Board reveals the complicated life of an athlete whose grace,
beauty, and courage sparked a worldwide fascination with diving,”
the film's description reads. “It chronicles Louganis’ rise from
a difficult upbringing to nearly universal acclaim as the greatest
diver ever, and from pioneering openly gay athlete with HIV to an
overlooked sports icon. Back on Board is the engrossing story
of an American legend as he re-emerges on the world stage to combat
prejudice, promote tolerance, and return to the diving world after a
long period of absence to act as a mentor to the next generation.”
The feature is from award-winning
filmmakers Cheryl Furjanic (Sync or Swim) and Will Sweeney
(The Royal Tenenbaums).
“Before Jason Collins, before Michael
Sam, Greg Louganis was blazing trails. His story touches on so
many important moments in American history including the Olympics,
the AIDS epidemic, the gay rights movement, and even the recent home
foreclosure crisis,” said producer Will Sweeney. “Greg’s
return to diving gave us a natural way to tell his unique story and
explore his enduring legacy.”
Director Cheryl Furjanic added: “As
an openly gay filmmaker, I've always admired Greg and I saw this as
an opportunity to reintroduce his story to the world; he has seen
life's highest highs and lowest lows and his incredible resilience
has so much to teach us all.”