PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW (PENNSYLVANIA) -- Pittsburgh native Bill Shannon is the subject of “Crutch,” co-directed by Sachi Cunningham, another Pittsburgh native. She is an associate professor of multimedia journalism at San Francisco State University. Twenty years in the making, the 93-minute film premiered via streaming in November at DOC NYC, a documentary film festival.
The movie takes viewers from Shannon’s childhood in Pittsburgh, when he was diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease — a rare, degenerative condition of the hip — to his achievements as a dance artist and skateboarder.
“For me, it’s my hometown and Bill’s hometown,” said Cunningham, who grew up in Highland Park. “It is an opportunity to share this hidden treasure that Pittsburgh has living in its midst that everyone doesn’t know about.”