Para to Dakar: The Joey Evans Story

This film addresses the profound lack of authentic screen representation and public understanding surrounding Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) and incomplete paraplegia. Globally, millions live with SCIs, yet media coverage often frames disability through a lens of total helplessness or tokenism. This project deconstructs those stereotypes by showcasing the raw realities of intensive neurological rehabilitation and adaptive sports.

Additionally, there is a distinct need to bring discussions of accessibility into the deeply male-skewed, able-bodied culture of motorsports and adventure film spaces. By highlighting Joey’s journey, we challenge sporting bodies and the wider public to normalize adaptive athletes and re-evaluate systemic barriers. We provide a vital blueprint of hope for newly injured individuals, proving that physical trauma does not signal the end of ambition or identity.

Our vision is to utilize Joey’s narrative to fundamentally transform global perceptions of physical disability and catalyze community support for spinal cord injury research. By partnering with leading accessibility advocates Bus Stop Films and Steph Dower (Dower Productions), we will ensure authentic, inclusive filmmaking practices from the ground up.

The film will serve as an educational and motivational toolkit distributed directly to rehabilitation clinics, hospitals, and sports organizations to inspire newly injured patients and medical staff. Ultimately, we want to spark systemic changes in how commercial sporting leagues accommodate adaptive competitors and leverage Joey’s global profile to raise significant funding for spinal health initiatives and inclusive community infrastructure.

We aim to drive Individual, community, and systems change. Individually, we want to inspire viewers facing personal adversity to adopt resilient mindsets. Culturally, we aim to bridge the gap between the able-bodied motorsport community and adaptive sports, utilizing ‘Influencer’ networks to champion inclusion.

On a systemic level, we will lobby for increased corporate sponsorship and media coverage of para-athletes. Furthermore, this project is designed to elevate the regional Queensland film ecosystem. Through strategic mentorship with veteran Executive Producer Veronica Fury, our emerging creative team will establish long-term pathways for diverse, high-impact factual storytelling in regional Australia, leaving a lasting legacy in the factual sector.

Our production team holds exclusive, trusted access to Joey Evans and his entire inner circle, including the sole life-story adaptation rights to his autobiography “Para to Dakar.” This relationship guarantees unrestricted access to highly intimate personal archives, medical records, and raw behind-the-scenes footage from his historic 2017 Dakar Rally run.

Furthermore, we have secured a direct promotional and distribution line to the global motorsport community via Joey’s official status as a global brand ambassador for KTM, unlocking access to their millions of dedicated followers. To ensure absolute ethical integrity and best-practice accessibility within the disability screen space, we are partnering with leading advocacy organizations Bus Stop Films and consulting producer Steph Dower (Dower Productions). These strategic alliances grant us a direct, trusted bridge into the wider spinal cord injury survivor network across Australia and internationally.

Donate to Spinal Research & Rehabilitation: Audiences will be directed via our post-screening impact portal to donate directly to partner NGOs and research foundations focused on neuroplasticity advancements and providing adaptive gym equipment to regional clinics worlwide.

Lobby for Motorsports Accessibility: We will launch a targeted digital campaign calling on local and international motorsport governing bodies to update safety regulations, integrate adaptive rider categories, and invest in wheelchair-accessible pit and spectator infrastructure at community tracks.

Share Educational Toolkits: Viewers will be urged to download and share our specialized educational packages—developed alongside Bus Stop Films—with local rehabilitation hospitals, schools, and athletic clubs to normalize adaptive sports and foster inclusive community attitudes.