The film, by Emilio Estefan, chronicles the struggles and triumphs of NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti and his son Marc as they strive to find a cure for paralysis.
An Unbreakable Bond, a film by Emilio Estefan documents the relationship between NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, his son Marc and their nearly three decade struggle to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The film will make its world debut at the 31st edition of Miami Film Festival, produced and presented by Miami Dade College, on Tues, March 11th at 6:30 PM at the Olympia Theater at The Gusman Center for the Performing Arts.
Estefan, a 19-time Grammy award winning producer, directed and produced this documentary that archives the Buonicontis’ lives as they faced paralysis head on. From the beginning in 1985 when Marc was injured, the film follows their journey from the creation of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis through the present day as they stand at the forefront of paralysis research.
An Unbreakable Bond is narrated by Buoniconti Fund Board Member and Grammy award winner, Gloria Estefan. The film includes appearances by special friends and ardent supporters of The Miami Project including; Academy Award winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, award winning television journalists Tom Brokaw and Bob Costas, NFL Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula, and Golf Hall of Famer Jack Nicklaus. We also hear first-hand accounts from the Buoniconti family as they discuss the devastation that Marc’s injury had on the family and how they teamed up with world-renown neurosurgeon Dr. Barth Green and developed the fledgling Miami Project, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, into a research effort with international prominence that has changed the way the world looks at paralysis and a cure.
“Over the decades, Gloria and Emilio Estefan have been such wonderful supporters and friends to both The Miami Project and The Buoniconti Fund. Both of our roots are so firmly planted in Miami so when this project presented itself it was natural to work with them on this important film,” said Miami Project President Marc Buoniconti.
Through historic footage, interviews with key supportive individuals, doctors, family and friends, the film recreates the tribulations and triumphs of this remarkable story. It also documents for future generations a journey of greatness, tragedy, inspiration and hope. Ultimately, this is a story of An Unbreakable Bond between a father and a son. A father and son who are not accustomed to standing still. A father and son who believe that all were born to move and chose to do something about it.
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis: In 1985, Barth A. Green, M.D. and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti helped found The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis after Nick’s son, Marc, sustained a spinal cord injury during a college football game. Today, The Miami Project is the world’s most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center, and a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The Miami Project’s international team is housed in the Lois Pope LIFE Center and includes more than 300 scientists, researchers, clinicians and support staff who take innovative approaches to the challenges of brain and spinal cord injury. Committed to finding a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury and to seeing millions worldwide walk again, the Buoniconti family established The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis in 1992, a non-profit organization devoted to assisting The Miami Project achieve its national and international goals.
The Miami Project’s Christine E. Lynn Clinical Trials Initiative is designed to take discoveries found to be successful in laboratory studies and fast track them to human studies. Our FDA approved Schwann cell transplantation trial, the only one of its kind in the world, is changing the spinal cord injury field and sets an important foundation for future Miami Project cell replacement therapies.
Miami Project researchers are conducting or participating in more than ten clinical trials for spinal cord and brain injuries, and have more than a dozen clinical research studies underway. Because of our clinical and research expertise, The Miami Project is confident that we have the knowledge and resolve to initiate additional clinical trials that will help us continue to responsibly and safely take these important steps into humans.
Learn more and support the Miami Project at: miamiproject.miami.edu
