LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new documentary based on the true story of a southern Indiana athlete who defied the odds to play college softball, is set to debut this weekend.
Katelyn Pavey and her family are gearing up for the release of "I Can" ahead of its big red carpet premiere this Sunday in Corydon, Indiana.
As Pavey grew up, the softball diamond was like her second home.
"I started at the age of three," she said.
Twenty-one years later, she's now playing for Kentucky Christian University. It's her sixth season as a collegiate athlete.
Katelyn Pavey poses with softball bat.
"I really, really fell in love with the game of softball because softball is a game of failure, and in life you're going to fail," she said.
Pavey became the first all-American athlete from Lanesville, Indiana, doing it all with just one arm.
"There's never been an all-state player in the state of Indiana with any limb different, at all, in any sport," said Eric Pavey, Katelyn's father. "So when you're first -- doing the first of things -- it's pretty cool."
Her story is now set to hit the big screen. The movie "I Can," produced by First Capital Films, is set to debut on Sunday, April 2, at Corydon Cinemas.
Tyler Sansom, the film's director, said it's taken two years to make the film. Most scenes were shot locally including in Corydon, New Albany, and Louisville. Sansom said they've worked with a film company based in Los Angeles to help with the editing.
While the film is named 'I Can,' Sansom and Pavey explain that wasn't the original plan.
'I CAN' Movie Poster
"Katelyn her whole life has been told she can't do things. Her dad Eric actually created T-Shirts and bracelets that said 'I Can't'," said Sansom.
"I changed, 'Can't' into 'Continue Adapting, Never Turning Back,'" Pavey said.
Eric said he tried pitching the title 'I Can't' but was told, "That is a terrible name for a movie," so he changed it to 'I Can.'
The Pavey family said this film isn't just a story of triumph, but also of redemption, tapping into their most personal moments.
Even times when they family questioned their faith in God.
"I did that a long time in my life after my daughter was born," Eric Pavey said. "And then how He can change that into a redemption power and a story with that that you just don't see until later on."
"It's hard, but if it can help somebody and if it can really show somebody that's maybe going through that same thing or needed that encouragement, it's worth it," Katelyn Pavey said.
Katelyn Pavey, a softball player for Kentucky Christian University, and the focus of the documentary "I Can."
Sansom said he had to pitch the idea to the family three times before they agreed.
"Personally I didn't feel qualified and I didn't feel like I had a story to share," said Katelyn Pavey. "As I've gotten older, I've realized it's not my story, it's God's story. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. "
"I see that God has his hand in on this and it has become a lot larger than we really anticipated at the very beginning," Eric Pavey said.
For the father, the journey has been "a rollercoaster."
"I feel like we're on the downhill ride about to to the premiere and I'm ready to put my hands up and go down the ride," he said.
Eric Pavey coaches his daughter Katelyn during softball game.
The film is taking the family from the diamond to the red carpet, and the father-daughter duo is ready to share their story on the big screen.
"It's always been just her and I in a tight little bond and a countless number of hours in the backyard," Eric Pavey said.
"It's really exciting," said Katelyn Pavey. "I'm super excited to see it."
Eric Pavey added that softball is only part of the story.
"For me as a father, it's just a matter of the woman that she's became and the woman in Christ that she's became, more than the ball player," he said.
Now the family is hoping to inspire others to turn life's "can'ts" into "cans."
"Whatever adversity that you're faced with, you can always find a way," Katelyn Pavey said. "With God, all things are possible."
Sunday's premiere is only open to the crew, cast and the Pavey family, but there will be a special two-day showing of the movie at Cordyon Cinemas Monday and Tuesday that will be free and open to the public.
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