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Logline

K.L. Cleeton is a professional poker player born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, type 1, which paralyzed him from the neck down since he was an infant. In Chip and a Chair, we follow K.L. as he and his family attempt to shift society’s perspective on people with complex health issues and disabilities.

Synopsis

We open on K.L. Cleeton and his parents, Ken and Lillie, packing up K.L.’s van in Effingham, Illinois. There’s a makeshift mattress in the back as they prepare for a 1700-mile road trip to Las Vegas, where K.L. hopes to compete in the World Series of Poker. They must drive because K.L. cannot fly—airlines don’t allow passengers to remain in their wheelchairs, and K.L. can’t leave his specially-molded chair. He’ll stay strapped upright in the van for the 2-day nonstop journey while his parents alternate between driving and napping.

Arriving in Las Vegas, K.L. is welcomed by numerous friends and instantly comes alive. His poker journey began in 2017 when professional player Daniel Negreanu discovered him on Twitter and sponsored his WSOP Main Event entry. His father, Ken, assists him at the table, handling cards and chips. Since then, K.L. has been working to earn enough through sponsorships and winnings to cover his parents’ salary so they can relocate to Las Vegas. Currently, his parents receive payment from Illinois to be his full-time caregivers, a benefit unavailable in Nevada.

Living in Las Vegas among the poker community is K.L.’s dream, but achieving it isn’t simple. After returning from Vegas to Effingham, he becomes more determined than ever to make the move permanent. He and his family engage with the Nevada State legislature, fighting against bureaucratic obstacles to enact change. Meanwhile, K.L. pursues online sponsorships, begins a romantic relationship, and finds inspiration from comedian Shane Burcaw—who also has SMA but has built the life K.L. desires. As the story concludes, K.L. remains surrounded by support, holding onto hope that he can reach Las Vegas, where he can be his most authentic self.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Carlo Alberto Orecchia — Co-Director
Born and raised in Mantova, Italy, Carlo currently lives in Los Angeles, California where he’s been working as a director and producer for documentaries, commercials, food-travel shows, music videos and unique art projects like the Pirelli Calendar.

He is a commercial and portrait photographer for major brands and celebrities, as well as the creator and host of All the Pizza, currently streaming on HULU and Apple+. He has won six Emmy Awards for documentaries and his work as director and producer brought him to the Cannes Film Festival, the Film Festival di Venezia and the David of Donatello in Rome and won the award Nastri d’Argento.

His award-winning documentaries, including Sergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America, Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking, and Friedkin Uncut, can be found on Max and Amazon Prime.

Ryan Leng — Co-Director
Ryan Leng is a 3-Time World Series of Poker Gold Bracelet winner. He is making his directorial debut telling a story that combines two of the things that he loves most in his life—poker and friendship. Ryan wants to show the world how beautiful and inclusive the WSOP is, and how incredible and inspirational his friend K.L. is.

April Shih — Producer
April is an Emmy-nominated, WGA Award-winning writer/producer and filmmaker with several series in development at FX, WBTV, and Paramount TV Studios. She has written for FX’s critically acclaimed comedy You’re the Worst, Mrs. America (starring Cate Blanchett), and Amazon’s Undone, and served as Supervising Producer for Season 2 of Dave. April was most recently the co-executive producer on the Emmy-Nominated Season 5 of Fargo. April has been a fellow of the Sundance Episodic Story Lab, CAPE New Writers Fellowship, CBS Writers Mentoring Program, and the inaugural Film Independent Episodic Lab.

April has spent the last 3 years in an overall deal at FX creating, developing, and producing meaningful, soul-oriented content under her production banner DIVERSITY HIRE LTD with her producing partner Jen Goyne Blake. The company’s first feature film, Joyland, was an official selection for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. Joyland had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, won the Indie Spirit Award for Best International Film and was shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars. Their next international feature, It’s a Sad and Beautiful World, is currently in post-production and slated to be released in 2025.

Owais Ahmed — Executive Producer
Owais is a filmmaker and WSOP gold bracelet-winning poker player. He is a graduate of New York Film Academy’s directing program. He is an executive producer of the feature film Joyland, which recently premiered at the 2022 Festival De Cannes where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize.

Mark Pedri — Editor
Mark is an expedition-based documentary filmmaker and writer from Southwestern Wyoming where he tells stories from off the beaten path. Mark founded Burning Torch Productions in 2011 to focus on character-driven stories from the backroads of the world. His films have played at international festivals, on national PBS, and in screening tours around the world. Prior to making films full-time, Mark worked under the founding director of the Episodic Storytelling program at Sundance Institute. Mark has an MFA in Producing from the University of Southern California and an MA in Communication and Journalism from the University of Wyoming. For his most recent film he cycled across Germany to retrace the route of his grandfather who was a Prisoner of War in WWII.

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Contact

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