Breaking Limits - A Type 1 Diabetes Documentary

*Don’t miss our donation reward tiers at the bottom*

Link to our Instagram page: www.instagram.com/breakinglimitsfilm

THE STORY

"Breaking Limits" is a feature-length documentary that follows Type 1 Diabetic athletes as they conquer extreme sports, overcoming the unique challenges of managing their condition. Featuring interviews with athletes, families, and medical experts, this inspirational film showcases resilience and determination, empowering people with Type 1 Diabetes to lead full, adventurous lives. Following the footsteps of the athletes, breaking the limits of what not only people are capable of, but what the camera is capable of catching in Arctic Alaska, unpredictable white water rapids, the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway and more.

Why Make This Film?

This film is deeply personal and incredibly important. Navigating life with Type 1 Diabetes, we confront daily obstacles, persistently finding solutions and informing those around us. Having personally endured this journey, our goal is to craft a film that inspires hope and resilience in individuals like us, who's lives were forever altered when receiving a diagnosis. With the medical industry making leaps and bounds with advancements, it’s also starting to change the narrative of diabetes and having it under control with a healthy lifestyle and good life choices – but this severely affects T1D as this isn’t the case nor the truth of living a life with this lifelong condition. Overall, some doctors in fear of your safety push you to lay down your dreams and also any challenges that may make your life more difficult, but our film and these athletes are living proof that you can be more than T1D.

Why Now?

Honestly, we wish this film had been made decades ago. Amidst a growing number of T1D diagnoses, representation for people with disabilities remains scarce. This timely documentary aims to provide resources for future generations to empower them in managing their diabetes effectively. With an estimated 64,000 new T1D diagnosis every year in the US alone, this is vital and lifesaving information and inspiration. We aren’t exaggerating when we say “lifesaving.” It can be a clickbaity word that people throw around, but in this case it truly is. With your whole future ahead of you, if you don’t have access to know about people “doing the impossible” how can you fight the psychological battle alone and overcome it to have the life you know you’re capable of?

Who We Are:

We are a group of established filmmakers and creatives based in LA with a passion for telling stories that make ripple effects through the world. We believe wholeheartedly in this project, and both Dylan and Derek are Type 1 Diabetics that want to create a film that can help the newly diagnosed, as well as educate the masses about the scary, dangerous, and sometimes life threatening journey that is Type 1 Diabetes – while never losing sight of the ability to inspire hope and lend courage to keep dreaming and never give up. This film is the tip of the iceberg of a much larger conversation that needs to be had, but can be the beginning blueprint of how to live with and not be defined by a diagnosis – the film they wished existed when they needed it most.

Team Involved

Dylan Leonard - Director / DP

Derek Theler - Producer

Elissa Shay - Producer

How we will use the funds raised:

This fundraising is to help bridge the gap while we work out the best partnership and legalese with our financiers. We are creatively uncompromising on what we know this film needs to be and they’re fully on board with the vision, but of course that takes time. There are shoot dates coming up in September that are time sensitive, and while we have momentum we want to capitalize on it. Our overall budget is upwards of $500k, but this small portion is an effort to allow us to execute at the level we need to to do the project justice. We also wanted to offer the opportunity for the T1D community to be involved, and have a finger on the pulse of this project so they can be part of something we know is going to be powerful and magical once it’s complete.

The funds will go directly to production insurance (which given the environments for this shoot don’t come cheap), travel, food, accommodations, and camera equipment that is not provided by Sony – basically the bare bones necessities to accomplish the first 15 shoot days.

What we’ve done to date:

Filming at the Acura Grand Prix & Indy 500 with Conor Daly

Pre-interviews with Jordan Morris and Sage Donnelly

Commitments from all athletes mentioned below

Subjects Involved:

Conor Daly (Indy Car/NASCAR)

Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders/USMNT)

Sage Donnelly (Team USA Kayaker)

Fiona Wylde (3x SUP World Champion)

Sean Busby (Expedition Snowboarder)

Katie Bone (Rock Climber/Ninja Warrior Champion)

Dr. Anne Peters (World Renowned Endocrinologist)

Dr. Aaron Kowalski (President & CEO of JDRF)

Project Details

Expected duration: feature length (80-90 minutes)

Locations: Central California, Seattle (WA), Hood River (OR), Brooks Range & Alyeska (AK), Indianapolis (IN), Los Angeles (CA), Denver (CO) & more.

Current Partners: Equipment provisions from SONY, product support LMNT

Reward Tiers for Donations:

$100 – BTS Access & Live Filming updates (Exclusive Mailing List)

$300 – Special Thanks in movie credits

$500 – 1 Hour Group video call w/ team & anyone donating at this category (47 Available)

$750 – Signed movie poster from athletes & film team (24 Available)

$1,000 – 1 Hour Private video call with team (Limited to 10)

$1,500 – Private Screening in LA (Q&A) (Limited to 10 *does not include travel costs*)

$10,000 – Associate Producer credit (Limited to 3)