7 YARDS Film

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A documentary that will inspire you to overcome.

7 Yards is a feature-length documentary that explores the resilience and perspective of Chris Norton. In October 2010 at age 18, Chris suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury during a college football game. Doctors gave him just a 3 percent chance to ever move again. But he defied that diagnosis.

After years of physical therapy and training, Chris’ story went viral in 2015 when he successfully walked across the college graduation stage with the help of his fiancée Emily. Video of Chris walking to get his diploma touched the world and has received over 300 million views. Soon after, Chris and Emily set an ambitious new goal: walk seven yards side-by-side down their wedding aisle. The film features powerful interviews, emotional reenactments and real footage from their 2018 wedding. It’s the inspirational comeback story of Chris and his journey from college athlete to medical miracle to viral inspiration and now adoptive father.

Crowdfunding for 7 Yards

We not only reached, but exceeded our initial 250K crowdfunding goal! Our stretch funds will go toward post-production, editing, composing, scoring and distribution costs.

100%funded
$350,000pledged
328backers

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Fotolanthropy is a Fully Tax Deductible 501(c)3 Nonprofit Corporation (Employee Identification Number: 46-1376576). The full amount of your contribution is deductible for federal income tax purposes.

FAQ

Why make 7 Yards the documentary?

Simply put, Chris and Emily's story deserves to be told and their journey needs to be experienced in the way only a documentary can offer. Through interviews and reenactments done by the real film subjects, we have captured the full vignette of their journey: from Chris' life-altering injury on the Luther College football field in 2010 to Chris and Emily's inspiring walk down the wedding aisle.

Furthermore, Fotolanthropy exists to inspire viewers and empower our film subjects. We believe there is a real need for more positive content - raw, honest stories that spark change and uplift the soul. We also often see our work being used as a platform by film subjects. Through our documentaries, we strive to help raise awareness for such causes, and hope that 7 Yards will be an effective tool for Chris to use in his continued advocacy for those with spinal cord injuries and his motivational speaking career.

Where are we in the process of making 7 Yards?

After gathering more than 100 hours of powerful footage, interviews and reenactments, we have completed editing, post-production and scoring of 7 Yards. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our sponsors and the donations from 328 backers, all of our fundraising goals have been met. The film is complete and we look forward to sharing information about its official release soon.

I love this story, how can I get involved?

Share! As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we rely on super-fans like you to help us spread the word about #7yardsfilm. Join our movement by sharing on social media, emailing your network of friends, family and coworkers and subscribing to our newsletters. Want to become an official ambassador for the film? Please email us at films@fotolanthropy.com to learn more.