ESPN 30 for 30 Film “Locked In” Premieres This August

ESPN’s Latest 30 for 30 short film will debut this August. Locked In follows the story of Victoria Arlen, a young athlete who suddenly began to suffer from two different neurological diseases leaving her in a vegetative state. While recovery was slow, through support and determination, Arlen managed to defy all odds.

  • Locked In will debut on ESPN at 7:30pm ET on Friday, August 3rd. The short film will be available to stream on ESPN+ on August 24th.
  • Locked In features moving testimony from Arlen’s mother, father, brothers, and coach, but ultimately, the words that sum up her remarkable story belong to Arlen herself, who now works for ESPN: “I wanted to switch the word ‘impossible’ to ‘I’m possible.’”

About Locked In:

  • “The family photos and home movies show a precocious, athletic little girl, a triplet with two brothers who lovingly teased her as they grew up in New Hampshire. Victoria Arlen truly had the world ahead of her. But at the age of 11, she began to suffer from an illness that baffled her doctors and tore up her family. She fell into a vegetative state, unable to communicate to her loved ones that she was still there. As she says in this inspiring and moving 30 for 30 Short, ‘I was locked in my own body.’”
  • “It wasn’t until three years later that Arlen began to regain movement. As it turned out, two different and rare neurological diseases had robbed Victoria not only of precious years, but also her physical capabilities. But they hadn’t taken her spirit. Slowly but surely, with the help of loved ones and proper treatment, she began to recover her true self. She couldn’t walk, but her brothers showed her she could still swim – all the way to London for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, where she won a gold and three silver medals. Determined to recover the use of her legs, she enrolled in a program called Project Walk and eventually competed on Dancing With The Stars on ABC.”

What they’re saying:

  • Director Alison Ellwood: “As a person, I was drawn to Victoria Arlen’s story as it represented the power of love in a family determined to never give up, despite the odds. As a director, her story presented exciting visual challenges that allowed me to experiment with metaphor. Given that Victoria was a swimmer, the water was a natural place for her “Locked In” mind to exist, simultaneously at peace and in angst.”