Joni

Joni is a 1980 drama film and biopic directed by James F. Collier. It is based on her autobiography of the same name. It is the true story of Joni Eareckson Tada (played by herself), a seventeen-year-old girl who becomes paralyzed after a diving accident. Through her physical, emotional and spiritual struggles, Joni learns to trust in God. Billy Graham financed the film through his company World Wide Pictures and appeared in a cameo.[1]

In 1967, at age 17, Joni Eareckson is involved in a diving accident that leaves her quadriplegic. As she attempts to come to terms with the reality of her new disability, she seeks the Bible for guidance and her Christian faith grows.

This film was shot on location at Kernan Hospital and the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. In Los Angeles, California, it was shot at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, Veterans Administration and Wadsworth Hospital Center. This movie was filmed in sequence, to help Joni revisit her events surrounding the injury. [2]

Joni premiered on October 24, 1980, in Los Angeles. It played in New York City on March 4, 1983.[3]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote the film is made more interesting and poignant by casting Tada as herself.[4] TV Guide rated it 2/4 stars and called Tada "a natural actress".[5]