tHE FILM

At 27, Kelsey Peterson dove into Lake Superior, off the shores of Wisconsin, and emerged paralyzed. Now, the former dancer struggles to redefine who she is while adapting to life with a disability. At the intersection of acceptance and hope, Kelsey unexpectedly finds herself facing an opportunity to dance again, showing her a new path toward acceptance, all the while grappling with a decision to participate in a cutting-edge clinical trial that could bring her much-desired change — forcing her to evaluate the possibilities of her recovery, body and spirit.

In Move Me, a first-time filmmaker with a disability simultaneously takes the reins behind the scenes, while revealing her inner revolution through raw storytelling onscreen.

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THE PEOPLE

Kelsey Peterson, Director/ProducerKelsey is a C6 quadriplegic, dancer, writer, and first-time filmmaker. Her previous path was interrupted when she sustained a spinal cord injury in 2012 and became paralyzed from the chest down. Despite her injury, Kelsey continues to dance, now from a wheelchair. She currently serves as co-director, choreographer and dancer on a live music and dance production featuring inter-abled artists called, A Cripple’s Dance. Her choreographic background lends to her storytelling, which she leans on in her documentary film, Move Me. Artistic advocacy for people with disabilities is her passion, using storytelling as a means of education, visibility and empathy. Kelsey is also working with nonprofit, Unite 2 Fight Paralysis, to develop a call to action for Move Me to further unite and empower the Spinal Cord Injury community and help expedite functional recovery for those living with paralysis. — **Kelsey Peterson, Director/Producer**
Kelsey was born in St. Paul, MN and raised in different parts of the state. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Montana in 2008, and later, her yoga teacher certification from CorePower Yoga. Her path was interrupted when she sustained a spinal cord injury in 2012 and became paralyzed from the chest down. But Kelsey continues to dance, now from a wheelchair. She is a dancer, choreographer, writer, and filmmaker. She currently serves as co-director, choreographer and dancer on A Cripple’s Dance, a live music and dance production featuring inter-abled artists. As a filmmaker, she finds that her choreographic background lends to the art of storytelling, which she leans on in her documentary film, Move Me. She enjoys using storytelling and movement as a vehicle for healing and change. She currently lives on Madeline Island with her wiener dog, Smokey.

Eli Olson, Consulting Editor/Consulting ProducerEli is an Emmy Award winning film editor with a unique storytelling ability. Her extensive experience reaches into the feature film, documentary, non-fiction broadcast, and commercial realms. Eli won an Emmy for her work on “My Flesh and Blood” for HBO Films, which also won an Emmy for Best Documentary, and the Audience Award and Best Director Prizes at Sundance Film Festival. In 2014, Eli co-directed the documentary “’Stories from Tohoku” about the courage and strength of the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. “Tohoku” won a Jury Prize at the 2014 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and was featured on PBS. Other 2014 editing projects include “Heaven Adores You”, a documentary on singer Elliott Smith featured at San Francisco International Film Festival, and “3 Still Standing”, a documentary about the rise and fall of three San Francisco comedians. “Standing” was featured at the 2014 Mill Valley Film Festival. In 2015, Eli edited “The Nine”, a non fiction feature by acclaimed photographer Katy Grannan, and “Saving Eden”, a documentary by Oscar winning director Bill Couturie. Eli also edited the feature films, “And Then Came Lola,” a comedy, and “Mrs. Menendez” a feature length documentary for A&E Films. Other non-fiction television credits include “Sam Cooke: Crossing Over” for PBS’ American Masters, “Amelia Earhart” and “The Boston Strangler” for National Geographic, “True Life” for MTV, “Sports Wives” for A&E, and “Rocket Dogs” for Animal Planet. — **Eli Olson, Consulting Editor/Consulting Producer**
Eli is an Emmy Award winning film editor with a unique storytelling ability. Her extensive experience reaches into the feature film, documentary, non-fiction broadcast, and commercial realms. Eli won an Emmy for her work on “My Flesh and Blood” for HBO Films, which also won an Emmy for Best Documentary, and the Audience Award and Best Director Prizes at Sundance Film Festival. In 2014, Eli co-directed the documentary “’Stories from Tohoku” about the courage and strength of the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. “Tohoku” won a Jury Prize at the 2014 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and was featured on PBS. Other 2014 editing projects include “Heaven Adores You”, a documentary on singer Elliott Smith featured at San Francisco International Film Festival, and “3 Still Standing”, a documentary about the rise and fall of three San Francisco comedians. “Standing” was featured at the 2014 Mill Valley Film Festival. In 2015, Eli edited “The Nine”, a non fiction feature by acclaimed photographer Katy Grannan, and “Saving Eden”, a documentary by Oscar winning director Bill Couturie. Eli also edited the feature films, “And Then Came Lola,” a comedy, and “Mrs. Menendez” a feature length documentary for A&E Films. Other non-fiction television credits include “Sam Cooke: Crossing Over” for PBS’ American Masters, “Amelia Earhart” and “The Boston Strangler” for National Geographic, “True Life” for MTV, “Sports Wives” for A&E, and “Rocket Dogs” for Animal Planet.

Daniel Klein, Co-Director/ProducerDaniel is the director and producer behind the two-time James Beard Award winning online documentary series, The Perennial Plate. Daniel, a former chef (Bouchon, Craft, The Fat Duck), and his wife and co-producer, M… — **Daniel Klein, Co-Director/Producer**
Daniel is the director and producer behind the two-time James Beard Award winning online documentary series, The Perennial Plate. Daniel, a former chef (Bouchon, Craft, The Fat Duck), and his wife and co-producer, Mirra Fine, have created over 170 short films around the world (with tens of millions of views and 9 vimeo staff picks). They also produced the most recent season (and the relaunch) of the national syndicated PBS Series, “The Victory Garden’s Edible Feast”, for which they were nominated for an Emmy. Their production arm has worked with such diverse clients as American Express, Equal Exhange, Whole Foods and Capital One. Their films have been shown in innumerable film festivals around the world and at the United Nations.

Brennan Vance, Director of PhotographyBrennan Vance is a Minneapolis-based filmmaker and 2017 McKnight Media Arts Fellow. Vance’s feature directorial debut The Missing Sun received a Jerome Foundation fellowship, was selected as part of the 2016 IFP Filmmaker Narrative Labs and recently played at the Sofia Independent Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival and Ashland Independent Film Festival, where it was awarded a special jury prize. Vance recently served as cinematographer for the feature documentaries Memories of a Penitent Heart [Tribeca ’16, PBS] and Robert Klein Still Can’t Stop His Leg [SXSW 2016, STARZ]. His work as a Director of Photography for Twin Cities PBS has earned him three Emmy Awards. — **Brennan Vance, Director of Photography**
Brennan Vance is a Minneapolis-based filmmaker and 2017 McKnight Media Arts Fellow. Vance’s feature directorial debut *The Missing Sun* received a Jerome Foundation fellowship, was selected as part of the 2016 IFP Filmmaker Narrative Labs and recently played at the Sofia Independent Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival and Ashland Independent Film Festival, where it was awarded a special jury prize. Vance recently served as cinematographer for the feature documentaries Memories of a Penitent Heart [Tribeca ’16, PBS] and Robert Klein Still Can’t Stop His Leg [SXSW 2016, STARZ]. His work as a Director of Photography for Twin Cities PBS has earned him three Emmy Awards.

Nico Bovat, EditorNico is a documentary editor from Cape Cod, MA. She discovered her passion for art at a young age, later receiving her BA in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at Massachusetts College of Art & Design. Through her exploration of vario… — **Nico Bovat, Editor**
Nico is a documentary editor from Cape Cod, MA. She discovered her passion for art at a young age, later receiving her BA in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at Massachusetts College of Art & Design. Through her exploration of various storytelling mediums - including performance, illustration, fiber arts, and design - she was eventually drawn to the intuitive and sensitive nature of film editing. Nico’s work as an editor has been featured on PBS, NBC, Vice, The Atlantic, and Short of The Week, and has received 5 Vimeo Staff Picks. In 2019, Nico edited *Quilt Fever*, which screened at AFI Docs, DOC NYC, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, and SXSW. Nico was also the editor and writer of the feature film, *Somewhere with No Bridges*, which is slated to premiere at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival and Salem Film Festival in 2020. Nico currently lives in Upstate New York with her partner and collaborator, Charles Frank, and their two cats Juicebox and Bubbles.

NEWS

MSQL Ep. 4: On Pain & Change This week on My So-Quad Life I'm dealing with new pain, and trying to lean into change. Trying to remember my own strength. Remember that I have been here, facing unknowns and fear, before. Remember that I am not alone. How do you face change? How do you move stress and fear through and out of your body? How do you remember your own strength? Checkout the full episode on my YouTube channel (link in bio). Big love, y’all. KP💜 Music by @freaquedom & @ckay_yo Editing by @abuzzey #disability #disabilityawareness #disabled #wheelchair #wheelchairlife #sci #spinalcordinjury #paralysis #paralyzed #paralysisassassins #disabilityspeaks #disabilitypride #inclusionmatters #accessibilityislove #ilovemybody #interdependence #carework #mysoquadlife

We all endure change, but how do we embrace it?

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