Inspirational and Incredible True Story
‘I’ll Push You’ Shows Two Friends – One in a Wheelchair – Hiking Famed 500-Mile El Camino Trail, in U.S. Cinemas November 2 Only
This One-Night Event Includes a Panel Discussion With the Documentary’s Subjects and Co-Director, Hosted by Musical Artist Billy Gilman
DENVER – August 29, 2017 – “I’ll Push You: The Camino Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends and One Wheelchair” comes to cinemas for one night this November to tell the story of two lifelong friends, Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray, embarking on an epic adventure to hike Spain’s El Camino de Santiago (the way of St. James). These two men show audiences the heart of friendship as Patrick pushes Justin, who is fighting a degenerative neuromuscular disease, in a wheelchair along the entire journey.
Fathom Events and Emota Inc., in partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), bring audiences an inspiring one-night event celebrating friendship, endurance, humanity and community to movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. local time. Following the screening will be an exclusive panel discussion between Skeesuck, Gray and filmmakers, facilitated by MDA ambassador and Grammy®-nominated and NBC’s “The Voice” star, Billy Gilman.
Tickets for “I’ll Push You: The Camino Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends and One Wheelchair” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 550 select movie theaters nationwide. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
“Three years ago, we set out to accomplish this impossible journey,” Skeesuck said. “To have it documented on film was a dream come true, but to finally be able to share it with the world, I’m not sure I have words to adequately describe the joy I feel.”
“To finally have a chance to share our story with so many people is incredible,” Gray said. “We have been blessed to live this life, to be a part of this story. For others to find hope in it is a beautiful and humbling thing.”
Hiking this ancient pilgrimage along the vast terrain is challenging enough for the average person, but Justin and Patrick are far from average. To reach their goal of completing this monumental trek, they will encounter many seemingly insurmountable obstacles and incredible, often amusing, setbacks. While these two friends face various challenges, they come to realize that the greatest rewards of the journey are those of self-discovery, a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper appreciation for community, all of which ultimately redefine the meaning of the phrase, “I’ll push you.”
“This event features an incredible, self-sacrificial friendship,” Fathom Events VP of Programming Kymberli Frueh said. “Seeing their journey unfold, with each obstacle along the way, inspires the innate human spirit of adventure and reminds you what it means to be a true and good friend. Justin and Patrick’s tenacity, endurance and enormous love for one another is a beautiful thing to see.”
“For us, the Camino and this project has always been about the power of our communities, big or small. From partnering with Fathom, to working with the MDA, or collaborating with music groups – like Switchfoot – on the soundtrack – this event is the culmination of our 4-year labor for love,” said co-director Terry Parish.
“In a time when many are feeling on-edge, we are really proud to be offering a documentary that proves that our days aren’t nearly as dark as we are sometimes led to believe, but rather are lit with goodness and the possibility of real connection,” directorial partner Chris Karcher said.
For artwork/photos related to “I’ll Push You: The Camino Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends and One Wheelchair,” visit the Fathom Events press site.
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is recognized as the leading domestic distributor of event cinema with participating affiliate theaters in all 100 of the top Designated Market Areas®, and ranks as one of the largest overall distributors of content to movie theaters. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) (known collectively as AC JV, LLC), Fathom Events offers a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events such as live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, dance and theatre productions like the Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre Live, sporting events like “Canelo Álvarez vs. Julio César Chávez, Jr.,” concerts with artists like Michael Bublé, Rush and Mötley Crüe, the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics film series, inspirational events such as To Joey With Love and Facing Darkness, and anime titles such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Fathom Events takes audiences behind the scenes and offers unique extras including audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events’ live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live and pre-recorded events to 897 locations and 1,387 screens in 181 DMAs. For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
About Emota Inc.
emota is a San Diego-based production studio and award-winning video agency. I’ll Push You is the debut for directorial team Chris Karcher and Terry Parish – co-founders of emota and I’ll Push You’s Executive Producers. Emota has a strong reputation in the region for its past work: delivering high-quality, emotionally compelling content created with some of the world’s best known product and retail brands, including Blue Buffalo, Citrix, Levi’s, Dockers, Charlotte Russe, Qualcomm, Petco, and Sony. For more information, visit www.emota.com.