Our Collection

In 1959, at just nineteen years of age, Harry Jerome was Canada’smost promising track and field star and he was on his way to the Olympics in Rome. By 1962, after suffering a gruesome leg injury, there was every reason to think that his racing days were over. But Jerome was not just a champion on the track; he was doubly determined off it. And so began his climb to what his coach, the legendary Bill Bowerman, called “the greatest comeback in track and field history.”

Through years of unparalleled political turbulence, racial conflict and his own personal challenges, Harry Jerome kept his head down and ran, displaying strength of character and willful perseverance every bit as impressive as his record-setting athleticism.

Filmmaker Charles Officer uses gorgeous monochrome imagery, impassioned interviews and astonishing archival footage to tell the runner’s triumphant story, from his early days in North Vancouver, through his three Olympics and his unequalled streak of records, to his sudden and tragically premature death. Family, friends and teammates recall a man who forever changed the Canadian sports landscape and made an indelible mark upon the world.

Compelling, surprising and urgently paced, Mighty Jerome will electrify sports fans, history buffs and all those with an appreciation for tales of courage and redemption.

Inspired by the book Running Uphill, The Fast, Short Life of Canadian Champion Harry Jerome by Fil Fraser.

2010, 83 min 38 s

Le grand Jerome

Northwest Regional Emmy Award for Best Historical Documentary
The Northwest Regional Emmy Awards
June 2 2012, Seattle - USA

Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Program or Series
Leo Awards
June 8 to 11 2011, Vancouver - Canada

Best Overall Sound in a Documentary Program or Series
Leo Awards
June 8 to 11 2011, Vancouver - Canada

Best Feature Length Documentary Program
Leo Awards
June 8 to 11 2011, Vancouver - Canada

Best Musical Score in a Documentary Program or Series
Leo Awards
June 8 to 11 2011, Vancouver - Canada