B.C. composer with debilitating condition realizes dream of scoring movie
When Ari Kinarthy embarked upon this quest, he never could have imagined where it would ultimately lead.
Since he was a child — living with a rare genetic condition that stopped his muscles from working — Ari had been fighting to find ways to have fun.
“It feels very frustrating,” Ari says. “To be left out of activities that my friends can do and I can’t.”
After losing the ability to play video games with a hand controller, Ari searched for years to find a solution and eventually found technology that allowed him to control the action on screen with the movement of his breath.
“I can play almost any game out there,” Ari says. “My friends can join me and we can have a great time.”
But finding a pleasurable pastime couldn't compare to the unexpected discovery of a true passion for making music.
“I really just want to impact people deeply,” Ari says.
Despite spinal muscular atrophy progressively weakening his muscles, the adaptive technology and music therapy was strengthening Ari’s talent for composing.
He released two albums of original instrumental music, studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and is open to accepting commissions to compose.
“Now my dream is to write music for film,” Ari says.
A re-imagined quest – followed by Ari receiving an unexpected message from a stranger who offered to realize that dream.
“I thought it was a scam,” Ari recalls with a laugh.
It wasn’t. It turns out the directors at the award-winning Salazar Films had heard about Ari’s work and wanted to collaborate with him.
“He wants to be regarded as an artist with a disability, not a disabled person who’s an artist,” director and producer Jeff Petry says. “And I think the film (we made together) really focuses on that.”
"Ari’s Theme" is set to have it’s world premiere at the Hot Docs Film Festival.
The film within a film documents how Ari overcomes adversity to compose the soundtrack for the movie. It features original music that celebrates his most impactful memories and — facing a condition that will shorten his life — fuels him to leave a meaningful legacy.
“The audience gets to actively partake in the mission of the film itself,” Jeff says.
And Ari gets to realize his ultimate quest was not just to find play games or discover a musical passion — but to realize his life’s purpose. And for our triumphant hero, that’s to inspire.
“You only have one life,” Ari smiles. “And it’s best to live it to the fullest.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.