Reengineering SAM

Sam Schmidt's life began in the fast lane, and he plans on keeping it there. Though a 2000 crash left him a quadriplegic, his love of Indy car racing abides. This uplifting documentary, produced by frequent DFF guest and Academy Award winner Daniel Junge, ventures well beyond the track to tell Schmidt's remarkable story. Director Brian Malone shows how Schmidt went from rising star of the racing circuit to a business tycoon with a mission: a return to mobility. From his wheelchair, he not only manages a racing team and a company but also works with both doctors and engineers in an effort to regain at least partial mobility - and maybe even drive again someday. His determination is no less awe-inspiring than are the wonders of modern technology. (Denver International Film Festival)