A new documentary trailer showcasing previously unseen footage of Terry Fox has been unveiled today, a month before its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Titled “Run Terry Run,” the documentary offers a unique perspective on Terry Fox’s 1980 Marathon of Hope using nearly 100 newly found archival reels.
The trailer includes insights from key figures such as van driver Doug Alward, Terry’s brother Darrell Fox, and Terry himself as he embarked on his iconic cross-Canada run to support cancer research. The recovered footage, which was thought to have been discarded, was obtained by Toronto director Sean Menard from filmmaker John Simpson, who documented Fox’s journey with multiple camera operators.
Menard, known for his previous work on the MuchMusic documentary “299 Queen Street West,” was driven by the scarcity of high-quality footage on Fox’s marathon to seek out this valuable visual material. With the support of the Terry Fox Foundation, Menard located the footage in a Toronto storage unit near his residence, restoring it to 4K quality for use in his film, first screened at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall last year.
The documentary, devoid of traditional interviews, relies on the voices of key individuals like Alward, Darrell Fox, Leslie Scrivener (the first journalist to cover the Marathon of Hope), and Darryl Sittler (former Toronto Maple Leafs captain who ran alongside Terry). The narrative captures Fox’s journey, which began in 1980 and sadly ended prematurely near Thunder Bay, Ontario, due to cancer complications.
Despite Fox’s passing in 1981, his courageous run raised over $24 million at the time, equivalent to $1 from every Canadian. The Terry Fox Foundation recently announced surpassing $1 billion in funds for cancer research. Fox’s story has been the subject of several documentaries, with Menard’s latest film shedding new light on the evolution of the young runner and his enduring impact.
Featuring an original score by composer Tom Caffey, known for his work on “The Last Dance,” the documentary “Run Terry Run” is set to premiere at TIFF on September 19, preceding the 46th annual Terry Fox Run. The film is slated for a theatrical release on October 9, 2026.
