Victory Ranch had the tremendous honor of hosting the celebration and first screening of the feature length documentary film Gleason, which chronicles the inspirational journey of Steve Gleason, former New Orleans Saints player and ALS activist.

In attendance at the Victory Ranch screening were Steve Gleason and his family, former Saints teammates Drew Brees, Scott Fujita and Eric Johnson, and the entire film team. Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, who provides the original song “Hoping and Healing,” was also among those celebrating the film’s debut at Victory Ranch.

The private screening took place a day ahead of Gleason‘s world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where the film received a standing ovation.

Drew Brees tweeted that the “film will change lives,” while Sports Illustrated’s Peter King called the film “one powerful, raw, emotional film. America needs to see it.” Variety declared the film “an emotional powerhouse of a documentary” and commended director Clay Tweel for delivering “far more than just a typical inspirational living-with-disease doc: This is a portrait of a family forced to completely readjust their lives, never flinching from the accompanying fears and frustrations.”

We are beyond grateful for Team Gleason allowing Victory Ranch to be a part of the film’s premiere, and we encourage everyone to go see this inspiring and powerful movie when it is released nationwide.