Premiere: In the span of 11 minutes, you’ll watch one entrepreneur fight for his life (and win)

DJ Stewart beat the odds — and his prognosis — in a health battle chronicled by friend and Kansas City filmmaker Ryan Lovell. The intimate documentary they created together premieres today.

DJ Stewart shown in a photo within the documentary “Rare Enough”; still image courtesy of director Ryan Lovell

“Rare Enough” captures Stewart at his most raw during the Journey Pro Wrestling founder’s fight against Grade 4 glioblastoma — a rare malignant brain tumor — a testament to his spirit and a relationship formed with Lovell over years growing up together at local skateparks.

“It was about telling a very real story and doing so with a really close friend,” said Lovell, director of the project. 

The award-winning documentary short officially launched to the public today via Lovell’s Vimeo channel. It’s an honest and artistic depiction of Stewart’s strength — both from within himself and from his community, Lovell noted.

“This project shows what you can overcome and accomplish when everyone in a community supports one another,” Lovell shared. “DJ’s strength 100 percent comes from within, but he’s also surrounded with the absolute best support. I do believe that the positivity in DJ and in his community is having a positive effect on his health. I hope this story can then have a positive effect on the people who need it.”

Click here to read more about DJ Stewart’s health battle.

Check out the poster and stills from the documentary below, courtesy of direct Ryan Lovell, then keep reading (and watch the short film itself).

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World Cancer Day

The “Rare Enough” team released its short documentary Feb. 4 in recognition of World Cancer Day — a global initiative created and led by the Union for International Cancer Control. It aims to prevent millions of deaths each year by raising awareness and pressing governments across the world to take action against the disease.

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“Rare Enough” won best short documentary at the 2021 Los Angeles International Film Festival and was one of Lovell’s first projects back in Kansas City after working as a director and cinematographer in Los Angeles for several years. 

“I wanted to meet the film community in Kansas City and thought that a self-funded project of a story I believed in was the best and clearest way to do so,” Lovell recalled. “… The whole process creatively was a blast, and honestly felt a lot like hanging out with friends.”

Lovell first got interested in filmmaking as a teenager videotaping skate tricks with his friends; years later, he returned to KC and continued filming friends at the skatepark, but this time with much more storytelling experience. 

“Telling these sorts of stories and doing it collaboratively with people who I really trust and respect their work is what I love to do,” Lovell said. “Everyone put their best into this project, and hopefully we can push it as far as it will go. There is a ton of potential.”

Watch “Rare Enough” directed by Ryan Lovell below or click here to open the video in a new browser.

RARE ENOUGH from Ryan Lovell on Vimeo.