WATCH | 'The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius' to explore rise, fall of ex-Paralympian
Doccie will tell the story of how 'The Blade Runner' went from being a celebrated sports star to a convicted murderer
More than seven years after the murder of model Reeva Steenkamp at the hands of celebrated Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, the saga has again come under the spotlight, this time in the form of a four-part documentary by ESPN.
The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius, which has been in production for several years, will debut on ESPN+ this Sunday and will tell the story of how the athlete dubbed “The Blade Runner” went from being a celebrated sports star to a convicted murderer.
Pistorius was in 2016 convicted for the killing of his model girlfriend at his home in Silver Lakes in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013.
The former Paralympian was initially sentenced to six years in jail, but this was extended to 13 years by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The documentary, directed by BAFTA award-winner Daniel Gordon and produced by Academy Award-winner John Battsek, will feature interviews with more than a dozen people with intimate knowledge of the story.
A trailer released before the film's premiere shows the sports star's meteoric rise in the athletics world and his subsequent fall from grace.
The two-minute clip flashes back to the sport star's early life before showcasing his rise as a Paralympian and later quest to compete with able-bodied athletes, and then how his world came crashing down on him on that fateful Valentine's Day.
Director Gordon said in a release shared on ESPN's Press Room that, “The story of Oscar Pistorius is remarkable in its complexity. It’s at once inspirational and harrowing, and provides a lens of insight into a breadth of issues – from gender-based violence to disability rights, racial inequality and media frenzy.
“My hope is that the film gives audiences additional context and layers to a story they think they know.”
Adding to this was executive vice-president of content at ESPN, Connor Schell, who said, The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius was the “culmination of an exceptional year of work from ESPN Films”.
The first part of the Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius will air on ESPN+ on September 27, followed by the remaining parts over the next three nights.
It remains unclear when and where the documentary will air locally.