Documentary On Endeavor Games Featured In deadCenter Film Festival

This weekend is the Endeavor Games, bringing athletes from all over the country with physical disabilities right to Edmond.

“The Endeavor Games is a multi-sport, muti-disability competition, that is held every year the weekend before Father’s Day,” said Katrina Shaklee, vice president of wellness and sports at UCO.

This is year twenty-five for the event that was started on the UCO campus bringing athletes with disabilities from all over the world.

“We’ll have over three hundred athletes here from over twenty states and three countries,” said Shaklee.

Athletes of all ages compete in events like wheelchair basketball, swimming, track and field and more. And even though the participation sign-up date has passed.

“The deadline has passed, but we are suckers, so we typically will let people in if they call us,” said Shaklee.

Of course, there is always a need for volunteers and fan support

“You don’t understand it until you see it, and once you see it, you’re hooked,” said Shaklee.

Getting hooked is exactly what happened to filmmaker Bunee Tomlinson.

“I think what made the Endeavor Games so intriguing is seeing how they have to adapt,” said Tomlison owner of Windswept Media.

Tomlison was adopted from Romania by an Edmond family at six years old.

“Coming here at six I was basically a two-year-old in a six-year-old body,” said Tomlinson.

His challenges growing up made the Emmy award-winning filmmaker the perfect director for “Endeavor” a documentary on the Endeavor Games.

“Anyone can achieve their dreams, and anything like that, and that’s what made me fascinated,” said Tomlinson.

The film is showing at this year’s deadCenter Film Festival, which features over one hundred and sixty films showing all over the city.

“What a great place to have the world premiere at deadCenter Film Festival,” said Tomlinson.

Tomlinson has one thing he wants audiences to take from this documentary.

“No matter what they have to face, they can achieve their dreams and their goals,” said Tomlinson.

For information about the deadCenter Film Festival and the times and locations visit www.dcff.eventive.org

For information about the Endeavor games visit www.endeavorfames.org