Film Showcasing Paralympic Sport Opens in France

A film where the two main characters are a visually impaired athlete and his guide has opened in cinemas across France this week.

Called “La Ligne Droite” (The Straight Line), the film is directed by Régis Wargnier and is sponsored by the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (FPSC) and the French Federation for Athletics.

Focusing on the relationship of two characters who are aiming to rebuild their lives in different ways, the film aims to enhance the value of sport for people with a disability.

Yannik is a young man who, after suffering an accident, has lost his sight and taken up Para-Athletics. Due to his visual impairment he has to run with a guide, a woman called Leila. Once a top athlete herself in a life she now tries to hide, Leila has just served a five year prison sentence, a fact she keeps from her running partner.

Over the course of the film, the relationship between the athlete and his guide comes under close scrutiny as the two train, take part in competitions together and both aim to get their lives back on track.

Gérard Masson, the President of the FPSC said “Although the film talks about sport for people with a disability, it is not a film about disabilities.

“Above all it is a story about a relationship between a man and a woman who both suffered the injuries of life and who are rebuilding themselves again thanks to sport

“We hope that the film will show that our athletes are actually athletes before anything else. We also hope it will be very successful so that a large number of people discover sports for people with a disability.”