Chariots Of Ire - Murderball, Part III

The final whistle.

A year or so ahead of the release of Murderball, the idea a documentary about disabled people playing rugby would wow audiences at the Sundance Film Festival and secure a distribution deal with MTV films was the stuff of insanity. In the wake of Fahrenheit 9/11 and March Of The Penguins, documentaries have became as popular with mainstream audiences as at any time in the medium’s history.

So why did the world fall in love with non-fiction films? “I think it’s got a lot to do with relatively television,” says Henry Alex Rubin, without a hint of sarcasm. “Don’t get me wrong - I’m aware of how low-down and nasty reality TV can be, and you can rest assured we didn’t employ any of the tactics that the more deplorable shows use to stir up drama.