This July 3 at 8 pm, Forward: The Intelligence of the Bionic Leg, a documentary by director Nancy Savard, has its television premiere on RDI in the Grands Reportages series.

This sensitive and moving film investigates the obstacles amputees have to overcome to save their own lives and to make the leap of faith of deciding to amputate. Through interviews with former Quebec premier the Honourable Lucien Bouchard, whose leg was amputated following an infection by flesh-eating bacteria, the documentary offers insights into the daily challenges people face after acquiring a prosthetic limb. It also examines the work of Stéphane Bédard, a scientific innovator from Quebec who invented the bionic leg.

“Mr. Lucien Bouchard is generously candid in this documentary,” says the director. “It made us all realize how much our society believes in magic cures. But the moment you get a prosthesis, you can’t expect life to return to normal. It takes months of rehabilitation, sustained effort, commitment, dedication and the support of all kinds of specialists for amputees to accept the fate life has forced on them. Throughout the shoot, I was deeply moved by people’s faith that they could win their battle. One of them, Mr. Dulac, couldn’t escape his fate regardless of all his efforts. This film is dedicated to him.”

10th Ave Productions thanks Robert Nadeau at RDI for believing in this film from the beginning, and Jean Pelletier and Luc Paradis of Radio Canada for their support. The film will be rerun at 10:30 pm on July 30th on Radio Canada, as part of the Caméra Témoin series.

This production received generous support from the Canadian Television Fund, the Canadian Independent Film and Independent Video Fund and tax credit programs. Watch the trailer of the Forward: The Intelligence of The Bionic Leg documentary