Darrell Fox and Sean Menard Discuss Redefining The Terry Fox Legacy With 'Run Terry Run'
director sean menard and producer darrell fox reflect on restoring and reliving archive footage,
In conversations about great Canadian heroes, it would be impossible for Terry Fox’s name not to be atop the lists. Generations of Canadians and people across the world have been touched by his unparalleled courage and determination, and thanks to this latest film from documentary maestro Sean Menard, this will surely be the case for generations to come. Menard’s body of documentary work has often sought to discover the heart of several Canadian cultural zeitgeists, which makes the idea of him tackling the country’s greatest hero feel like a logical connection. Yet, the film takes a different approach to the story than some of Menard’s other work, making for a much more personal look into the legend that is Terry Fox, doing so alongside producer, Marathon of Hope co-founder Darrell Fox. Through a series of newly discovered and gorgeously restored film footage, the two pieced together what became Run Terry Run, a strikingly introspective look into the day-to-day of Terry’s journey across Canada during the Marathon of Hope. Ahead of their grand premiere at TIFF 2026, Menard and Fox sat down with FilmSpeak to discuss all things Run Terry Run.
Run Terry Run has garnered rapturous acclaim during its film festival stops across Canada thus far, testaments to how thoughtful the collaboration between Fox and Menard is. More often than not, documentaries related to athletes end up trying to mythologize their subjects in one way or another, and more often than not, that is the intent. Beyond the immediate and insurmountable legacy of its subject, Run Terry Run emerges as all the more interesting, not necessarily interested in the pursuits of mythic deconstruction, but rather, pulling back the curtains and getting to the under-recognized emotions and tribulations of our modern mythic hero.
Darrell discussed what it meant for him to show a more grounded side of his brother, something that Darrell was adamant to include in the documentary’s overall mission. “We see Terry as this superhuman hero, but he wasn't. He was an average individual, and that's certainly something as a family, we've been trying to put out there for 46 years, and we're failing. We're not getting that out there as much as we would like to. This documentary allows that to happen, so that you can see Terry as an average person, who did this extraordinary thing, through hard work and determination, drive, and drive, and so I think that's a pretty powerful thing”.
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Sean echoed these sentiments, claiming, “we might know the name, but we don't really know the person. So, it was important for me to kind of get out there and tell the definitive Terry Fox film, by leaning into this footage and bringing the viewer into the van and alongside the road in 1980”.
This documentary comes at a time when the need for believing in Canada amidst extraneous socioeconomic threats from the United States has been at the forefront of so many conversations pertaining to national identity, and it’s only natural that someone who’s work is as Canada-focused as Menard would have something important to say about the role of the documentary and Terry’s legacy during our nation’s current state of renewed pride. “It was a large weight. I felt that responsibility of being a Canadian, wanting to share our Canadian hero with the rest of the country in the world. Then, having those that were in the van, and having Darrell talk about how much he loves the movie, that means everything to me”.
Run Terry Run also brings a new kind of visual splendor to Terry Fox’s story, which has so often been visually depicted through newsreel footage from the 1980’s, which have undeniably been effective in continuing to educate generations of Canadian public school students about Terry and his courageous Marathon of Hope, but the story is able to take on a new identity, both visually and literally, through the meticulous restorations of the film reels taken during the Marathon of Hope. Menard reflected on the look of the new footage, and how it brings new life to the storied figure. “I think a beautiful thing about shooting on film, is that it can be preserved as this negative, and even all these years later, you can transfer it into beautiful 4K, and see the sweat glistening from Terry's forehead, watching him chew gum, and go through all of the process. It was an immense pleasure to create a sort of Terry Fox time machine and bring people back”.