Wyoming Arts Council

Daniel Junge's documentary on Evel Knievel will be screened at Sundance

Featured News | January 17, 2015

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Daniel Junge’s film, “Being Evel,” will be screened five times during the Sundance Film Festival Jan. 25-31 in Park City, Utah. The Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker grew up in Cheyenne. This is the first time that one of his films will be screened at the festival.

Here’s more information about the film from the Sundance web site:

In the history of sports, few names are more recognizable than that of Evel Knievel. Long after the man hung up his famous white leather jumpsuit and rode his Harley into the sunset, his name is still synonymous with the death-defying lifestyle he led. Notoriously brash, bold, and daring, Knievel stared death in the face from the seat of his motorcycle, but few know the larger-than-life story of the boy from Butte, Montana.

After an adolescence riddled with petty thievery and general rabble-rousing, Knievel set his sights on superstardom, a feat he achieved when televisions around the world aired the startling crash footage of his 1967 attempt to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The jump was spectacular, but the failed landing that sent him skidding like a ragdoll across the asphalt was the main attraction. Throughout the 1970s, his legacy as King of the Daredevils spawned action figures, movies, and a generation of kids who wanted to be just like Evel.

Featuring insights from current action sports superstars who were inspired by Evel’s iconic career, Academy Award-winning director Daniel Junge immerses you in a life story so incredible that you’d swear it was a tall tale.

Website: www.flyhelo.com

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