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In Christopher Reeve Story his children recount their Super/Man dad

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“Super/Man” also touches on his connections to Williamstown. It was at the Williamstown Theater Festival in 1987 where Reeve met his future wife, Dana. The couple married in April 1992 at an outdoor ceremony on a Williamstown farm, and their son, William, was born in town just a few months later. (Reeve’s first son, Matthew, and daughter, Alexandra Reeve Givens, were from a previous relationship.)

“It’s just somewhere that was always very special to him,” said Matthew. “I think that’s where he just got to do what he loved without necessarily having either Hollywood eyes on him or sort of the pressure of being in a higher-stakes professional environment like Broadway.”

From left: Gae Exton, Christopher Reeve, Alexandra Reeve, and Matthew Reeve arrive at a London airport in 1986.Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Even at the height of his fame during the Superman years, in between filming, Reeve would go back to Williamstown every summer to do a play for a few weeks, according to Matthew, because it was “creatively interesting and challenging to him.”

Reeve would find a Fortress of Solitude of sorts in Williamstown, buying a home for his family in town. Living in the Berkshires allowed Reeve to embrace his passion for outdoor sports and activities like horse riding. Matthew recalls the “little landing strip in a little airport in North Adams right next door” where his father would go flying and gliding.

“He also just felt really connected to the community there,” said Givens. “We grew up skiing Jiminy Peak, that’s our mountain. We rode at the local barn. Our neighbor, who’s the farmer for our valley, sold at the local farmers’ market every weekend. It was just really grounding.”

“For us it’s also home and we feel deeply connected to the community there,” she added, noting how they have family on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. “Massachusetts is a second home to us.”

When Reeve’s family sold their house in Williamstown in 2019, they found a treasure trove of home movies. An archivist later approached them to see if they wanted to share any videos for a biographical documentary on Reeve.

“We talked amongst ourselves and thought, well, if we’re ever going to do this, now’s the time,” said Matthew. “We agreed to give them our archive and to give them ourselves, basically, to open up in these interviews and say things we hadn’t said before, share the memories we hadn’t shared publicly.”

Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the documentary was made with the help of production companies Words + Pictures, Passion Pictures, and Misfits Entertainment, and premiered at Sundance in January. The film then sold to Warner Bros. Discovery, which is now releasing it in theaters, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Reeve’s death on Oct. 10, 2004.

In addition to Reeve’s children, many of his famous friends are featured in the film, including Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Daniels, and former US secretary of state John Kerry, who befriended Reeve after an Earth Day event in Boston in 1995, just a few weeks before his accident. “Super/Man” also features an interview with Brooke Ellison, a disability advocate who was the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University, prior to her death in February. Reeve directed the television movie “The Brooke Ellison Story” in 2004, which starred Lacey Chabert as Ellison.

While “Super/Man” focuses primarily on Reeve, Dana is also prominently featured. Givens calls her “the absolute rock of the family” who went to great lengths to take care of her husband and family, particularly in the aftermath of Reeve’s accident.

From left: New Jersey Governor James McGreevey, actor Christopher Reeve,and his wife, Dana, look on at one of the speakers at The Kessler Institute For Rehabilitation Jan. 4, 2004 in West Orange, N.J.Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

“Dad credited her with saving his life after the accident by reminding him that, even though his circumstances had changed beyond our recognition, he was still him and he was the person that our family needed,” Givens said, adding that “she had this incredible talent for just making joy in the most benign and kind of everyday moments.”

A Middlebury College graduate and noted performer in her own right, Dana died of lung cancer in 2006. Following her death, Reeve’s children joined the board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injuries through the advancement of research as well as improving the quality of life for paralyzed people and their families. Both Reeve and his wife were vocal advocates on behalf of the foundation during their lives, raising funds and awareness for those with disabilities.

Reeve’s children continue to serve as directors for the foundation, with Givens noting that it has raised “over $145 million directed to spinal cord injury research.”

“The foundation runs the nation’s paralysis resource center,” Givens said. “If someone’s navigating paralysis of any kind and is calling for peer advice or how to navigate a fight with an insurance company, or how to make their home accessible, this is the place that you call.”

“It’s a credit to dad and Dana,” she added.

From left: Matthew Reeve, Alexandra Reeve Givens, and Will Reeve attended “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” premiere at the Museum of Modern Art on Sept. 18 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Looking back on their legacy, Givens can’t help but reflect on her father’s fights with insurance companies in the ‘90s and early 2000s, explaining that, at the time, they wouldn’t pay for his backup ventilator.

“He was facing lifetime caps on insurance,” Givens said. “His insurance was about to run out at the time that he died. He was fighting for it over and over again, and then the Affordable Care Act put in those protections now that everybody is entitled to insurance.”

“Of course there’s still constant work ahead, both for true equality for people living with disabilities and continued work in the medical field that needs to happen too,” she added. “But the work is continuing on strong and it’s really wonderful to see.”

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” opens in theaters Oct. 11.


Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.



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Ufac realiza abertura do Fórum Permanente da Graduação — Universidade Federal do Acre

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Ufac realiza abertura do Fórum Permanente da Graduação — Universidade Federal do Acre

A Pró-Reitoria de Graduação (Prograd) da Ufac realizou, nesta terça-feira, 21, no anfiteatro Garibaldi Brasil, campus-sede, a abertura do Fórum Permanente da Graduação. O evento visa promover a reflexão e o diálogo sobre políticas e diretrizes que fortalecem o ensino de graduação na instituição.

Com o tema “O Compromisso Social da Universidade Pública: Desafios, Práticas e Perspectivas Transformadoras”, a programação reúne conferências, mesas temáticas e fóruns de discussão. A abertura contou com apresentação cultural do Trio Caribe, formado pelos músicos James, Nilton e Eullis, em parceria com a Fundação de Cultura Elias Mansour.
O pró-reitor de Extensão e Cultura, Carlos Paula de Moraes, representou a reitora Guida Aquino. Ele destacou o papel da universidade pública diante dos desafios orçamentários e institucionais. “Em 2025, conseguimos destinar R$ 10 milhões de emendas parlamentares para custeio, algo inédito em 61 anos de história.”

Para ele, a curricularização da extensão representa uma oportunidade de aproximar a formação acadêmica das demandas sociais. “A universidade pública tem potencial para ser uma plataforma de políticas públicas”, disse. “Precisamos formar jovens críticos, conscientes do território e dos problemas que enfrentamos.”
A pró-reitora de Graduação, Ednaceli Damasceno, ressaltou que o fórum reúne coordenadores e docentes dos cursos de bacharelado e licenciatura, incluindo representantes do campus de Cruzeiro do Sul. “O encontro trata de temáticas comuns aos cursos, como estágio supervisionado e curricularização da extensão. Queremos sair daqui com propostas de reformulação dos projetos de curso, alinhando a formação às expectativas e realidades dos nossos alunos.”
A conferência de abertura foi ministrada pelo professor Diêgo Madureira de Oliveira, da Universidade de Brasília, que abordou os desafios e as transformações da formação universitária diante das novas demandas sociais. Ao final do fórum, será elaborada uma carta de encaminhamentos à Prograd, que servirá de base para o planejamento acadêmico de 2026.
Também participaram da solenidade de abertura a diretora de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Grace Gotelip; o diretor do CCSD, Carlos Frank Viga Ramos; e o vice-diretor do CMulti, do campus Floresta, Tiago Jorge.



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Ufac realiza cerimônia de abertura dos Jogos Interatléticas-2025 — Universidade Federal do Acre

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Ufac realiza cerimônia de abertura dos Jogos Interatléticas-2025 — Universidade Federal do Acre

A Ufac realizou a abertura dos Jogos Interatléticas-2025, na sexta-feira, 17, no hall do Centro de Convenções, campus-sede, e celebrou o espírito esportivo e a integração entre os cursos da instituição. A programação segue nos próximos dias com diversas modalidades esportivas e atividades culturais. A entrega das medalhas e troféus aos vencedores está prevista para o encerramento do evento.

A reitora Guida Aquino destacou a importância do incentivo ao esporte universitário e agradeceu o apoio da deputada Socorro Neri (PP-AC), responsável pela destinação de uma emenda parlamentar de mais de R$ 80 mil, que viabilizou a competição. “Iniciamos os Jogos Interatléticas e eu queria agradecer o apoio da nossa querida deputada Socorro Neri, que acredita na educação e faz o melhor que pode para que o esporte e a cultura sejam realizados em nosso Estado”, disse.

A cerimônia de abertura contou com a participação de estudantes, atletas, servidores, convidados e representantes da comunidade acadêmica. Também estiveram presentes o pró-reitor de Extensão e Cultura, Carlos Paula de Moraes, e o presidente da Fundação de Cultura Elias Mansour, Minoru Kinpara.

(Fhagner Soares, estagiário Ascom/Ufac)

 



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Kits da 2ª Corrida da Ufac serão entregues no Centro de Convivência — Universidade Federal do Acre

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Kits da 2ª Corrida da Ufac serão entregues no Centro de Convivência — Universidade Federal do Acre

Os kits da 2ª Corrida da Ufac serão entregues aos atletas inscritos nesta quinta-feira, 23, das 9h às 17h, no Centro de Convivência (estacionamento B), campus-sede, em Rio Branco. O kit é obrigatório para participação na corrida e inclui, entre outros itens, camiseta oficial e número de peito. A 2ª Corrida da Ufac é uma iniciativa que visa incentivar a prática esportiva e a qualidade de vida nas comunidades acadêmica e externa.

 



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