When Hope Breaks Through

Now Available on SurvivorNet.TV and PBS

Want to make your event stand out from the rest?

Bring the Award Winning Documentary and Mike to your organization to empower your teams with a private screening event and Q and A.

Used as a resource by esteemed corporations, government agencies and educational institutions with mental health, teamwork and resilience education, prepare to be swept away with Mike and his incredible team.

‘When Hope Breaks Through’ by Director Matthew Wagner is the inspiring story of Mike Shoreman, who was diagnosed with a neurological condition that left him paralyzed, with vertigo, hearing loss and vision challenges, ultimately leading to depression and a mental health breakdown.

The film explores the mental health crisis and our relationships with our own mental health as it immerses the audience in Mike’s epic five crossings of the Great Lakes, encompassing over 300 kilometers of open water paddling with his dedicated crossings team. Together these strangers come together and form an inseparable bond as they face and conquer obstacles from boats breaking down, medical emergencies to hallucinations and everything in between, featuring the country’s leading mental health experts.

Private Screening Events are Live or Virtual.

Accolades

2020- Winner, Speaker Slam: North America’s Largest Inspirational Speech Competition

2020- International Stand Up Paddleboarding Man of the Year, SUP Connect

2022- Inducted, Diversability, D30 International Disability Impact List

2022- Hansard, Ontario Legislative Assembly of Ontario

2022- Hansard, House of Commons

2022- Mark Starzynski Mental Health Leadership Award Recipient, Mood Disorder Society of Canada

2022- Recognized by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

2023- Honorary Diploma Recipient, Loyalist College

2023- Official Selection, ‘When Hope Breaks Through’, Docs Without Borders International Film Festival

2023- Nominee, Ontario Premier’s Awards

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, Montreal International Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Original Score, Montreal International Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, Grand Rapids Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, Canadian Cinematography Awards

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, New York International Film Awards

2023- Award-Winner, Most Inspiring Film Award, 15th Annual Awareness Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, Comm Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Director, Cannes World Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Director, Crowne International Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, WaterWalker Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, Documentaries Without Borders Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, Canberra International Mental Health Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, Mental Filmness

2023- Official Selection, Rhode Island International Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, 38th Annual Boston Film Festival

2023- Award-Winner, Best Feature Documentary, Central Alberta Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, New Westminster International Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, Durham Region International Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, 18th Annual Hamilton Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, Fresh Coast Film Festival

2023- Official Selection,Whistler International Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, Soo Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, North Carolina Film Festival

2023- Official Selection, Parry Sound International Film Festival

Trailer

When Hope Breaks Through

Directed by Matthew Wagner Films

Cinematography: Matthew Wagner, Joe Matteson, Andrew Sorlie

Runtime: 90m Canada/2023

Release Date: September 2023

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Mike is on a mission to help your audience achieve their greatest potential, through actionable steps in overcoming personal and professional obstacles and setbacks.