EXCLUSIVE: Harder Than You Think (HTYT), the producer of Emmy-winning Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix, has struck a deal with the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 to create the official documentary film for next year’s Paralympic Winter Games in northern Italy.
The partnership with the foundation, which is the official Organizing Committee (OCOG) for the 2026 Olympics and Paralympics Winter Games, builds on HTYT’s Rising Phoenix franchise.
The original 2020 Rising Phoenix documentary explored the inspirational stories of nine Paralympian athletes, and was followed by Rising Phoenix: Tokyo and Rising Phoenix: A New Revolution, shot in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
The documentary film will be the final component of a wider content offering from HTYT, which includes a social media series following Winter Paralympians on their journey to 2026 and a new season of the Rising Phoenix: What Does It Take podcast, highlighting the dedication required to excel in Paralympic sport.
The feature documentary will bring the full story of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games to life, using exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the tournament’s organisers and the world’s top winter Paralympians, shot by HTYT crews on the ground.
The 2026 Paralympics Winter Games will see athletes compete in six winter sports across three Italian regions in March 2026, and coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first Winter Paralympics in Sweden in 1976.
Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 and HTYT are now seeking International Paralympic Committee (IPC) TOP partners and domestic sponsors to collaborate on the project.
The partnership follows an 2022 agreement between HTYT and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granting it exclusive rights to tell the Paralympic story from the Paris Summer 2024 through to the Milan-Cortina Winter 2026 and Los Angeles Summer 2028 Paralympics.
“We are truly proud and honoured to present this project: it’s going to be our Official Film of the Paralympic Winter Games and we consider it as one of the significant legacies of Milano Cortina 2026,” said Milano Cortina 2026 CEO Andrea Varnier.
“By opening the doors to the behind-the-scenes efforts of the Organizing Committee and highlighting the journeys of the Paralympic athletes who are actively involved in organizing the Games, we aim to provide a fresh and unique perspective on the narrative of the Paralympic Games.”
HTYT Director of Development Calum Campbell said the partnership with the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 marked a new chapter for the Rising Phoenix franchise.
“We have always wanted to produce more content around the Paralympic Winter games and are excited to have this opportunity to work with the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee to promote their Games and the incredible winter Paralympians’ stories to the world,” he said.
