Four Emmy Award nominations! That’s how many nominations a film produced by talented South African Robert Ford has earned for his recent film “Super/Man”, which is a powerful tribute to the resilient, real-life hero behind the iconic Superman.
United Kingdom (24 July 2025) – We’re in the business of celebrating South African talent, and this particular story is of one such individual, Robert Ford, who has brought new life to the iconic figure of Christopher Reeve in a documentary that has just been nominated for four Emmys: Directing, Writing, Editing and Music Composition.
The film, Super/Man, produced by South African talent Ford, has already won more than 30 awards, including Best Documentary at the 2025 BAFTAs, a Producers Guild of America Award and six Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards!
A different side to Super/Man
The story of Christopher Reeve is an astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, and his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today.
Reeve portrayed the “Man of Steel” in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralysed from the neck down.
After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care, all while continuing his career in cinema in front of and behind the camera and dedicating himself to his beloved family.
Super/Man includes never-before-seen intimate home movies and an extraordinary trove of personal archive material, as well as the first extended interviews ever filmed with Reeve’s three children about their father, and interviews with the A-list Hollywood actors who were Reeve’s colleagues and friends.
The producer behind the story
After spending the first 18 years of his life in Wellington and matriculating from Hugenote Hoërskool, Ford moved to England to begin his career and admits that he wishes he 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 last 25 years, Ford worked in film in various roles, from assistant editor to sound assistant to camera operator, making his name as a production manager and then as a documentary producer.
In 2019, his career changed gear after he worked as a field producer on Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which is still one of IMDb’s highest-rated series of all time. This was followed by producing credits on two Emmy winners: The Deepest Breath, about world-record-setting free diver Alessia Zecchini, and Rising Phoenix, about the Paralympics.
“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 sports person, but I was just drawn to interesting stories in the world of sport.”
He’d worked with Super/Man directors Peter Ettedgui and Ian Bonhôte on Rising Phoenix, coming back to South Africa to film Paralympics double-Gold medalist Ntando Mahlangu. That documentary had opened all of their eyes to the struggle for disability rights, a key aspect of Reeve’s 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.”
That treasure trove of archives became the biggest challenge.
“It’s a complex story that takes place over decades,” he says.
Beyond the challenges of licensing and editing a vast trove of archival material, Ford emphasises the crucial importance of including disabled voices and talent in the filmmaking process, ensuring authentic representation and understanding.
Having now made a couple of documentaries about disability, Ford believes it’s not only “important that those stories are heard and not marginalised” but that disabled talent is included in the filmmaking process. “It’s important to include their perspective and point of view.”
On Super/Man, their team included several disabled crew and consultants.
“They were involved in every aspect of the film’s R&D. 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.”
Reeve’s own transformation from a beloved screen hero to a charismatic activist and symbol of human resilience is at the heart of the film, revealing a real-life hero behind the iconic character.
“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,” Ford shares.
You can view the Super/Man trailer, which has nearly 8M views, below:
Sources: Supplied
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