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Q & A with Marci Krown, Director/Producer of THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES Documentary by Krown Family Films

PLUS: Save the date: August 6, 2024 in San Diego for:

“Stepping Up Together – A Film Event for THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES”

Cover photo for "The Power of Sports for Amputees" Documentary. Photo credit: Marci Krown.

THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES

Photo by Marci Krown – With Permission

Stepping Up Together

– A Film Event for

THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES

Our SJF Communications client, colleague (and friend), Marci Krown, is truly a force! She is a San Diego filmmaker (director/producer), actor and amazing disability awareness advocate. Marci is certainly “stepping up” and going places with her upcoming Krown Family Films feature documentary – THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES!

On Tuesday, August 6, 2024, from 6 pm – 9:30 pm (PST), Krown Family Films will have a film event – “Stepping Up Together – A San Diego Film Event for THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES Documentary” at the Encore Event Center (8253 Ronson Rd., San Diego, CA 92111).

THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES follows the struggles and successes of three people with leg limb loss that are wanting to participate and/or compete in sports.

THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES will showcase that those with leg limb loss have learned that there is life without limits. It will focus on their abilities, not their disabilities. We follow the struggles and successes of these three people that include Carson Fox, a teen wanting to continue to play on his high school’s football team and join his track team; James Dixon of Absolute Motivation whose purpose is to thrive in life and to get others to do the same; and Beatriz Hatz, a Paralympic Athlete aspiring to obtain a spot on her USA Track Team going to the Paris Paralympics.

The main sponsors of the film are befree and Amplitude.

The company befree was started by two women, Nicole Puzzo and Joanne Dicamillo. They’ve developed a product called, “ZipOns”, a functional adaptive clothing solution for those with limited mobility. Joanne stated “We are proud to sponsor and support this amazing documentary about the importance of athletics for amputees and the challenges they face.”

Amplitude is a magazine and newsletter with an incredible resource directory for Amputees. Based in Loveland, Colorado, Larry Borowsky is Editor-in- Chief.
The tag line is “Today’s amputees are living more dynamic lives than ever before. Amplitude tells their stories.“

THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES will also share information from some non-profit organizations that are providing resources to the Amputee Community. Some of these include the Challenged Athlete Foundation (CAF),  Angel City Sports, Move United and the Amputee Coalition.

The crew of the film includes: 

Marci Krown – Director/Producer; Viken Kazandjian – Cinematographer and Jared Tweedie – Editor.

The “Stepping Up Together – A San Diego Film Event for THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES Documentary” event will include appetizers, desserts and beverages, networking and an online silent auction and panel discussion after the film.

Tickets are $60/person – and must be purchased online. The link includes ticket and silent auction bidding information. (Note: You can still bid/donate even if you are not local to San Diego or do not attend)!


WHEN?: Tuesday, August 6, 2024, from 6 pm – 9:30 pm (PST)
WHERE?: Encore Event Center (8253 Ronson Rd., San Diego, CA 92111)
HOW?: Here’s the TICKET LINK: https://new.biddingowl.com/AmputeeSports.

For more information: info@KrownFamilyFilms.com

Here is the Q & A
Susan J Farese and Marci Krown:

Courtesy of Marci Krown
Marci Krown, With Permission

SJF: What inspired you to make THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES Documentary?

MK: Back in 1995, I started working  for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. Because I had such a love of sports, I wanted to get involved with a sports organization in some facet. Little did I know that this experience would be the best in my life! My perceptions of those who were disabled weren’t accurate. I didn’t really understand how someone that was a leg amputee, had a vision impairment or even was paralyzed, could compete in sports effectively. By the end of the 1 ½ years, I truly embraced the Power of the Human Spirit. I remembered this experience when it came time for me to produce my first Documentary Feature. I did some more research and found that still, non-disabled people had unrealistic views of those with disabilities. And some of those with disabilities are afraid to come out of hiding. In addition, those with disabilities still weren’t aware of all the resources in place for them in which they could thrive. I decided I was going to share some stories and use sport to get people comfortable in understanding those with disabilities better.

SJF: Such amazing insight Marci, thank you for sharing that.

SJF: Who are some of the cast in the film?

MK: Some of the people in the film include a teen boy that lost his leg to cancer and wanting to get back to his high school football team and learn track; a middle-aged man that was born with a congenital limb loss use his loss to find his purpose and help others similar to himself; and the third person is a early 20’s Paralympian who was trying to obtain a spot on her US Track and Field Team going to the 2024 Paris Paralympics in August. In addition, I have non-profit organizations in this story that cater to providing resources to the Amputee Community.

SJF: They all sound like inspiring stories from your cast.

SJF: What do you think were the biggest challenges making this film?

MK: Challenges with the film :  Finding San Diego Amputees that were comfortable sharing their stories to interview. Also, since I started making the film in October 2022, I have lost my Father-in-Law, got Covid, lost my Father, Mother-in-law and got Covid again in June. The challenge of sticking to a timeline feeling exhausted with illness and grief certainly made it difficult. And yet, having this project allowed a distraction for me to focus on and having something to complete. I had to stop several times for a period just to take care of my self and let this project go, which was difficult.

SJF: So much loss and grief as well as experiencing Covid. Yes, self-care is paramount.

SJF: How did you work with your cinematographer to capture the images you wanted?

MK: I must have interviewed over 12 Cinematographers. The one I have now, Viken, stood out due to his artistic endeavors, his ability to film with a specific budget and knowledge of filming a documentary. I had an outline and based on that and with his input on shots, we got the filming done. It was also important to me that we got along as I knew I was in for a long haul in spending days filming. You want to get along with that person, especially since I knew I would be traveling with him to Indiana.

I shot the film in Chula Vista, Orange County and Indiana. Because I had more people to interview in other cities, I couldn’t afford to fly my Cinematographer and myself all over the place. I did end up zooming some interviews because I felt these people were important to the story.

SJF: What lessons have you learned re: the topic of disabled amputee athletes?

MK: What I have learned in my research is that there are more resources than I thought for Amputees. While doing research for the film in deciding who to interview, I came across so many organizations. In the last 1 ½ years, I attended two National Conferences and 6 major sports events for adaptive athletes. It’s really amazing that everyone is on the same page and are looking to provide a better community, more education and a way to improve the health of the adaptive athletes, whether they are children, teens or adults. I’ve also learned more about discrimination of those with disabilities. I’ve also learned that insurance hasn’t provided coverage for a sports prosthetic for Amputees wanting to compete. It has been deemed not medically necessary. There is an organization, So Everybody Can Move, that has helped in getting a grassroot movement going for communities to educate legislation to change this process of providing a covered prosthetic.

SJF: Your commitment and dedication to the topic of disabled amputee athletes is impressive Marci!

SJF: How wide would you like your reach to be with the distribution of this film?

MK: My goal with this film is to share it throughout the United States and some International Countries. In addition to submitting this Documentary to film festivals that specifically deal with films featuring stories of disabled, and sports themes, my goal is to showcase this film in cities that have Adaptive Sports Clubs and Colleges with Adaptive Sports teams and programs. I’d like to be able to have an Educational Distribution, to show to non-profits, government agencies, conferences and corporations. And of course, I’d love to have this film streamed on various platforms. Sports is a great way to introduce adaptive athletes to the community. With the Paralympic Games in just over a month, this film will continue showing people afterwards just how sport has the ability for people to see the “abilities” of Amputees and not their “disabilities”.

SJF: Wishing you the best that your film has lots of distance being screened nationally as well as globally!

SJF: How can we find out more information about Krown Family Films?

MK: Krown Family Films social media sites:

TICKET LINK for Stepping Up Together – A San Diego Film Event for THE POWER OF SPORTS FOR AMPUTEES Documentary: 
CLICK HERE: https://new.biddingowl.com/AmputeeSports.

Krown Family Films website:
CLICK HERE: https://krownfamilyfilms.com

The Power of Sports for Amputees Facebook Group:
CLICK HERE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepowerofsports

For more info: info@krownfamilyfilms.com

HASHTAGS:

#amputeelife #amputeestrong #adaptivesports #adaptiveathlete #krownfamilyfilms #inclusionmatters #inclusionforall #adaptivesports #diversitymatters #thepowerofsport #paralympicgames #wheelchairbasketball #paris2024 #paralympics  #abilitynotdisability #adaptivetools #adaptivedesign #moveunited #parabadminton #parafencing #disablitymatters #prosthetics #amputeelife #amputeecoalition #adaptiveyoga #inclusionmatters #paralympicathletes  #legprosthetic #disabilityawareness #phantompain #limbloss #LLLDAM #inclusionmatters #prosthetist #thrivetogether #befreeadaptive #adaptivefashion #adaptivefashions #Standupandplay #wethrive #sportsarelife #wheelchairbasketball

Questions? For more info: info@krownfamilyfilms.com

Many thanks Marci, it has been a pleasure learning more about your film!

Featured susanfarese

Q & A with Former Astronaut Wife, JoAnn Petrie Carr ~ Author of “Keeper of the Flame” and Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications

Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications recently interviewed our client, JoAnn Petrie Carr, Author of the fiction novel, “Keeper of the Flame”. JoAnn is a former Astronaut wife and retired Attorney in the Houston area. Her answers were astute, honest and thought provoking.

Q & A with JoAnn Petrie Carr, Author, “Keeper of the Flame”


  • Courtesy Photo – JoAnn Petrie Carr

The Carr Family Courtesy Photo
Top Row – left to right: Jennifer, Jerry, JoAnn and Jamee;
Bottom Row – left to right: Jeff, Jessica, Joshua, John

SJF: In a nutshell…tell us about your life as a former Astronauts’ wife – a few tidbits…

JPC: My life as a former astronaut wife was in many respects business as usual with a houseful of six children.   The monotony of mopping the floor was broken up with invitations to some of the River Oaks swankiendas (“swanky haciendas”) as well as invitations to the Indy 500, a week at Las Brisas in Acapulco, a week at a fabulous dude ranch in the Rocky Mountains, a trip to Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral) and back in our host’s private 747 –  among other less elaborate places.

This Cinderella always knew that the kitchen floor was waiting along with the other menial tasks that go with being the mother of six.  We went to a lot of fabulous parties locally.  Lucky for me I was an expert seamstress, so all the fancy outfits I needed were made on my handy dandy sewing machine.  A simple Vogue pattern with a smashing fabric of some sort and I had a new outfit for every party!  It was like being Cinderella, but one who was only too well aware that the coach was going to turn into a pumpkin sooner or later.  Only the gown stayed the same.

SJF: What experiences and/or people (parents, role models etc) in your life influenced you the most and why?

JPC: My maiden aunt gave me piano lessons and saw that I was involved with the local church. I was also influenced by the fact that my mother’s cousin was a designer for Twentieth Century Fox and I always went to the movies where her wares were displayed.  I think I tried to emulate her.  I never got to meet her though.  But she continued to be an influence on my life.  My skills also came in handy when Halloween came around and my kids always had elaborate Halloween costumes.

SJF: Describe your work as an Attorney – any fascinating cases? Do you miss it?

Courtesy Photo – JoAnn Petrie Carr

JPC: The first case I ever worked on was one of the biggest cases Texas had seen for a while.  It involved a Supreme Court Justice who had gotten elected because he had the same name as a well-known political family in the State.  I didn’t have my license yet but worked as the lead attorney’s “gofer”.  He had been the Attorney General when Kennedy was killed.  After that I had a general practice and did a lot of family law and managed to have some interesting divorces along the way.  And no, I don’t miss it.

SJF: Describe your book “Keeper of the Flame” -why? Any backlash? 

JPC: I decided to write a memoir about my life as an astronaut wife for my kids but it turned out to be so boring that I decided that I could tell more truth with fiction.  As I was watching my youngest son play a role in Hello Dolly it just came to me that I would write a novel and call it Keeper of the Flame.  I think they were singing “Before the Parade Passes By” and I was facing retirement age.  I am unaware of any backlash. A few of the wives have asked me if certain incidents in the book really happened.  My reply is always “It’s fiction”.  I sent every wife a copy of the book when it first came out and I got several very nice notes and a few positive phone calls.  Now that I think of it there were a lot, I didn’t hear from at all.  I got a very nice call from Al Bean. He was quite complimentary.  He was the only man who had the guts to call.  And I’m sure that at least several of the men read it too.

SJF: What do you dream about?

JPC: I dream about this book becoming a movie.

SJF: What are your top 3 values in life?

JPC: First and foremost is family.  They all have each other’s back and are ready to circle the wagons at the first hint of trouble.  Another is helping other less fortunate people.  Christianity – but not necessarily in that order.  But family is always first.

The Carr Family Courtesy Photo
Top Row – left to right: Jennifer, JoAnn and Jamee;
Bottom Row – left to right: Jeff, Jessica, Joshua, John

SJF: Did you enjoy the celebrity status? Describe…

JPC: I did enjoy the celebrity status.  It was sporadic so we didn’t have the kind of attention that the first few groups had.  It was just as well.  I had too much else to do.

Courtesy Photo – JoAnn Petrie Carr

SJF: What are you most proud of?

JPC: I’m most proud that all my kids are good people.  We escaped the teen years with no drugs and no scrapes with the law.   They were active in their church fellowship groups and I helped lead them.  It was a blast hanging around with those teenagers.   They had a musical group and we played and sang for other churches.

SJF: Describe your feelings about balancing motherhood and work

Courtesy Photo – JoAnn Petrie Carr

JPC: Balancing motherhood and work is a team effort.  My kids had chores on a rotating basis.  They did their own laundry.  They helped me cook meals.

SJF: Female issues with males (harassment) in law practice, etc.?

JPC: I didn’t encounter much in the way of harassment.  The Texas male attorneys separated females into two categories — – lady lawyers and women lawyers.  I never did figure out what was what but I guess I was whichever one was better because they all seemed to like me and didn’t harass me at all.

SJF: Any insight on the process of aging? Has it been a challenge? 

JPC: Aging is a bitch.  I can’t play tennis.  I can’t hike.  I can’t garden. My eyesight is declining.  I can’t sew or do jigsaw puzzles.  And if I don’t hurry up and get this book out there, I am going to lose my short term memory and giving speeches will be a challenge.

SJF: Any fears? Doubts? ever?

JPC: The only fears I had were that my ex-husband Jerry wasn’t going to get a flight.  He was assigned to Apollo 19 but the last three flights (18, 19, 20) were cancelled.  He was named Commander of the third and last Skylab flight – an 84-day mission in the Skylab workshop.  But we sweated it out for several weeks before we knew about the Skylab flight.  It was a heart-breaking time for both of us. I was just as anxious for him to get a flight as he was.  So I don’t think I ever had any doubt that he was made for the exploration of space.  It was something that was meant to happen.  And it almost didn’t.

SJF: Many thanks, JoAnn!

Read our previous SJF Communications blog post about JoAnn Petrie Carr here : https://sjfcommunications.com/2019/08/26/joann-petrie-carr-author-keeper-of-the-flame/

“Keeper of the Flame”

By JoAnn Petrie Carr

About the Author

JoAnn Petrie Carr was born and raised in Orange County, California. She graduated from The California State University at Long Beach with a degree in elementary education. She married her high school sweetheart who was later to be named as an Apollo astronaut in the ‘60s. During her life as the wife of a marine fighter pilot, she organized and taught a private kindergarten in North Carolina. She moved to Houston where she raised her six children against the backdrop of Gemini, Apollo and Skylab. She later completed her Doctor of Jurisprudence at the Bates College of Law at the University of Houston with all six children still at home. She divorced and practiced law for 30 years. During this time, she was a sole practitioner, general counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and counsel for Star Station One, a 501c-3 dedicated to space education for children. She designed a distance-learning program for primary grades.

To book JoAnn Petrie Carr for media interviews

 or speaking engagements please contact her publicist:

Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications 408-398-5940

sjfcommunications@gmail.com Web:  https://sjfcommunications.com

Visit Jo Ann Carr at her website: https://www.joannpetriecarr.com

Follow JoAnn Petrie Carr on Facebook

Follow JoAnn Petire Carr on Instagram (@keeperoftheflamenovel)

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Introducing JoAnn Petrie Carr, Author of “Keeper of the Flame”

JoAnn Petrie Carr – Courtesy Photo

Our SJF Communications client, former Astronaut wife, Author Jo Ann Petrie Carr, recently re-released her 2013 fiction novel “Keeper of the Flame” with XLibris Publishers.

Former Astronaut Wife Re-Releases Novel about Moon Landing

In association with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, JoAnn Petrie Carr reflects her personal experience as an astronaut’s wife in her debut novel, ‘Keeper of the Flame’

(San Diego, CA August 16, 2019) – What is it like being married to an astronaut? Author, JoAnn Petrie Carr, offers an inside view of an astronaut family as she draws from her personal experience. A fiction based on fact, “Keeper of the Flame” tells the story of an Apollo astronaut wife as she struggles to establish an identity of her own. She puts her own ambitions aside in favor of supporting her husband’s quest for the moon.

In the book, readers will follow the life of Jennifer Davis. She is a devoted mother of four and wife of an Apollo astronaut, who had dreamed of being a lawyer. Instead, she married and started a family. Her husband, Evan, is a good but neglectful man who is driven by his need to excel at whatever he does. His time and attention are focused exclusively on the moon to the detriment of his family and his relationship with Jennifer.

Jennifer pushes the traditional envelope of her life as far as she is able without jeopardizing Evan’s chances or neglecting her children. An emergency on the lunar surface, endangering the crew, causes her to reexamine her core values. She meets the tough choices that face her head on.

“Keeper of the Flame” is a metaphor for the universal story of every traditional married woman who found herself exposed to the possibilities offered by the changing world of the ‘60s. It will also appeal to those younger women who struggle to combine career and family.

“Keeper of the Flame”

By JoAnn Petrie Carr

Hardcover | 6×9 in | 294 pages | ISBN 9781796031720

Softcover | 6×9 in | 294 pages | ISBN 9781796031713

E-Book | 294 pages | ISBN 9781796031706

About the Author

JoAnn Petrie Carr was born and raised in Orange County, California. She graduated from The California State University at Long Beach with a degree in elementary education. She married her high school sweetheart who was later to be named as an Apollo astronaut in the ‘60s. During her life as the wife of a marine fighter pilot, she organized and taught a private kindergarten in North Carolina. She moved to Houston where she raised her six children against the backdrop of Gemini, Apollo and Skylab. She later completed her Doctor of Jurisprudence at the Bates College of Law at the University of Houston with all six children still at home. She divorced and practiced law for 30 years. During this time, she was a sole practitioner, general counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and counsel for Star Station One, a 501c-3 dedicated to space education for children. She designed a distance-learning program for primary grades.

To book JoAnn Petrie Carr for media interviews

 or speaking engagements please contact her publicist:

Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications 408-398-5940

sjfcommunications@gmail.com Web:  https://sjfcommunications.com

Visit Jo Ann Carr at her website: https://www.joannpetriecarr.com

Follow JoAnn Petrie Carr on Facebook