Winner 2006

Braindamadj’d…Take II

Apartment 11 Productions, CBC Newsworld, Canadian Television Fund, RDI, Knowledge Network

Left for dead after an automobile accident in Egypt, Paul Nadler, a relentlessly energetic and hugely creative music video director, fought to overcome a dire prognosis. Doctors believed he had no more than a five percent chance of surviving his traumatic brain injury and that, if he did, he would never see, walk or talk again. Nadler not only defied these predictions, he has presented the world with a wildly inventive film about his experience. Braindamadj’d…Take II traces his excruciating process of physical and psychological recovery. It features Nadler’s often sardonic comments on his progress and the observations of those intimately involved in his recovery—relatives, friends, colleagues, medical professionals, and his doggedly supportive mother and father. Brash, defiant and determined, he fights to regain the life almost taken from him. Peabody board members characterized Nadler as both “a riveting life force” and “a major filmmaker.” Braindamadj’d…Take II is a reminder than any life can change in an instant. It is also a testimonial to the power of creativity, spirit and will, and for that, receives a Peabody Award.

PRIMARY PRODUCTION CREDITS

Executive producers: Jonathan Finkelstein and Allan Joli-Coeur. Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein. Director: Paul Nadler. Writers: Jonathan Finkelstein, Paul Nadler. Director of photography: Bill Kerrigan. Editor: Zsolt Luka.