Robert Ford, a South African producer, is celebrating the success of his documentary, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which just landed four Emmy nominations for Directing, Writing, Editing, and Music Composition.
The film, which chronicles the remarkable life of Christopher Reeve, is set to stream on Showmax from Friday, July 25th. It’s already garnered over 30 awards, including Best Documentary at the 2025 BAFTAs, a Producers Guild of America Award, and six Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.
Super/Man tells the captivating story of Reeve’s meteoric rise from an unknown actor to an iconic movie star, largely due to his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman. His performance set the standard for the superhero cinematic universes we see dominating screens today. After starring in four Superman films and showcasing his versatile talent in numerous other roles, Reeve’s life took a tragic turn in 1995 when a near-fatal horse-riding accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Despite becoming a quadriplegic, Reeve transformed into a powerful advocate. He became a charismatic leader in the search for a cure for spinal cord injuries and a passionate champion for disability rights and care. All the while, he continued his career in film, both in front of and behind the camera, and remained dedicated to his beloved family.
The documentary offers an intimate look at Reeve’s life, featuring never-before-seen home movies, a vast personal archive, and the first extended interviews with his three children about their father. It also includes insights from A-list Hollywood actors who were Reeve’s colleagues and friends.
Critics have lauded Super/Man, earning it a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Hollywood Reporter praised it as “a powerful story of human endurance… One of the aspects that makes Super/Man so satisfying is that, for a biographical film in which tragedy and loss play such a central part, it’s rich in evidence of hope and kindness, gratitude and the resilience of the human spirit.”
From Wellington to Hollywood: Robert Ford’s Journey
Ford spent his formative years in Wellington, South Africa, matriculating from Hugenote Hoërskool before moving to England at 18. “I’m half British, so some of my family were in the UK, and I moved here to start my career,” Ford explains. “I wish I had known more about the South African film industry at that stage; I only discovered later that SA has such a vibrant film culture.”
Over the past 25 years, Ford has gained extensive experience in the film industry, taking on various roles from assistant editor to sound assistant and camera operator. He made his mark as a production manager before transitioning into documentary production.
A turning point in his career came in 2019 when he worked as a field producer on Formula 1: Drive to Survive, one of IMDb’s highest-rated series. This led to producing credits on two Emmy-winning documentaries: The Deepest Breath, focusing on world-record-setting free diver Alessia Zecchini, and Rising Phoenix, about the Paralympics. His resume also includes Alex Gibney’s Citizen K, a Writers Guild of America Award nominee; Final Account, which received two Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations; and the Emmy-nominated Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, a documentary about the legendary Manchester United coach.
“I’ve done a lot of archive-based documentaries about people from recent history,” says Ford. “And quite a lot of them were sports documentaries. I don’t know why that happened; I’m not really a big sport person but I was just drawn to interesting stories in the world of sport.”
Ford’s collaboration with Super/Man directors Peter Ettedgui and Ian Bonhôte began on Rising Phoenix. During that project, he returned to South Africa to film Paralympics double-Gold medalist Ntando Mahlangu. That experience highlighted the crucial struggle for disability rights – a core aspect of Christopher Reeve’s enduring legacy.
“When I heard they were developing a documentary about Christopher Reeve, I immediately jumped at it because Chris was such an icon. I was always fascinated by his life, just because it’s such a dramatic story, with such highs and such lows. And then when I found out how much archive footage there is, that the family filmed everything and kept everything and had this huge treasure trove of archive, it felt like a no-brainer to make this film.”
The Archival Challenge and the Power of Inclusive Storytelling
That “treasure trove of archive” proved to be the project’s biggest hurdle. “It’s a complex story that takes place over decades,” Ford explains. “We had to license the archive from so many different places, and then it was challenging to edit, because we had so much footage, hundreds of hours. The story could have gone in so many directions, so there were lots of difficult decisions in the edit. Letting go of the scenes you really love is hard; it’s hard killing your babies. There were wonderful scenes we could have included but we just didn’t have the running time.”
Having now produced several documentaries centered on disability, Ford emphasizes the importance of ensuring these stories are “heard and not marginalized” and that disabled talent is actively involved in the filmmaking process. “It’s important to include their perspective and point of view,” he states.
On Super/Man, the production team included several disabled crew members and consultants. “They were involved in every aspect of the film’s R&D,” Ford notes. “Their insights into living with paralysis proved particularly invaluable, helping us to understand not just the everyday challenges for a disabled person but also the ethics and (often controversial) politics around the idea of ‘cure’ which Chris championed.”
Future Projects and a Love for South Africa
Ford is currently in the midst of filming his directorial debut, a feature documentary set in the U.S. that he describes as a “quirky, unusual nature documentary.” This will be the inaugural project from his own production company, Radius Films.
While Rising Phoenix is his only filming experience in South Africa to date, Ford still has family here and visited last year with his partner. “I’d love to film in South Africa again,” he shares. “South Africa has great filmmakers and crew, and the filmmaking infrastructure there is really brilliant.”
He’s particularly excited for his childhood friends and community to see Super/Man on Showmax. “It’s a universal story,” he says. “Chris went out of his way to help others. He was a kind and empathetic person even before his accident, who did a lot for others, but that accelerated hugely after his fall, even while he was confronting unimaginable adversity. Behind the onscreen superhero was a real-life hero.”