Cockyeyed
TFI Suppport
Logline
COCKEYED by Ryan Knighton is adapted by him from his highly acclaimed memoir with the same title. The story is tough, tender, and darkly comic as Ryan crashes into life while going slowly blind, and trying to save his brother Rory from drugs, alcohol, and a really bad girlfriend. In the end Ryan finds his own way forward and a wonderful woman who makes him stronger by refusing to pity his tangled life and loss of sight.
Ryan Knighton
Writer
On his 18th birthday, Canada's Ryan Knighton was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a congenital disease marked by a progressive pathology of night-blindness, tunnel vision, and eventually total blindness. Knighton's internationally acclaimed third book, Cockeyed, is his irreverent memoir of going blind, growing up, and getting both wrong. The book was short listed for several awards, including the Stephen Leacock medal, Canada's national award for humor, and was chosen as one of People Magazine's hottest reads. In 2008, Knighton was the Sloan Fellow at the highly competitive Sundance Screenwriter's Lab, where he developed Cockeyed's screenplay. knighton has also been contracted to write a screen adaptation of Ronald Wright's award-winning archeological thriller, A Scientific Romance. To date, Knighton has also written numerous satirical and comic essays for Esquire, The New York Times, Salon, The Believer, The Sunday Telegraph, The
Utne Reader, and The Globe and Mail. He is currently contracted to Knofp for two further memoirs. He is also a frequent contributor to the CBC, writing and performing radio documentaries and monologues. A feature documentary film by Scott Smith will be released in 2008, "As Slow As Possible", which chronicles Knighton's participation in the longest, slowest song ever performed. Now in the final stage before total blindness, only 1% of his visual field refuses to quit. As for interests, he has a few, but none involve sports or sudden
movements. Every year he adds another tattoo to his collection, and hopes it comes close to what he imagines.
Jody Hotchkiss
Producer
Jody worked at MGM as a VP of East Coast Production before becoming a literary agent representing books, articles, and life rights for film/television at his company Hotchkiss and Associates. He is now starting to work on a few passion projects as a producer. COCKEYED by Ryan Knighton is the first book that Jody has optioned. A few Hotchkiss and Associates agented books/article-to-movies include AMERICAN GANGSTER, THE KITE RUNNER, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES, and BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE (HBO) which won the Emmy Award for best movie made of television.