The World Premiere of a new feature documentary on vaccination, “The Greater Good,” will be held at the Dallas Film Festival on April 2-3, 2011. The 82-minute movie has been produced by award winning film directors, editors, animators and photographers and has been nominated by the Dallas Film Festival for the Silver Heart Award and the Target Documentary Competition. The film will also be screened at Arizona International Film Festival in Tucson on April 12; at Lincoln Center in New York City in May and at Autism One in Chicago on May 26.
Bringing the Bigger Picture Into Focus
The storyline for “The Greater Good” movie centers on three families, whose lives have been changed by vaccine reactions, and features interviews with pediatricians, public health officials, scientists, consumer activists, attorneys and vaccine developers. NVIC’s work and perspective on vaccine safety and informed consent issues is included in the film. In a statement of purpose, film producers Leslie Manookin Bradshaw, Kendall Nelson and Chris Pilaro, said “These days, vaccination ranks alongside religion and politics as one of those subjects “not to discuss around the Thanksgiving table.” The Greater Good aims to change that. The film takes a step back from the recent divisiveness, discusses the issue's complexity and nuances, and brings the bigger picture into focus. We strive to create a safe space to bring rational and reasonable ideas back to this important discussion.”
Coping With Vaccine Injury & Death
A portrait of what a Gardasil vaccine injury looks like is brought into sharp focus in the story of pain and courage told by 16 year old Gabi Swank and her Mom, Shannon Schrag in Kansas. The tragedy of losing a baby daughter after several rounds of vaccinations is described by Dr. Stephanie Christner and her husband, Danny, in Oklahoma as they plea for more physician and parent education. The reality of what it is like to raise a vaccine injured son with autism becomes clear when MyLinda and Fred King talk about their hopes and fears in Portland.
Also appearing in the film are Norman Baylor, PhD, MS; Kevin Conway, JD; Barbara Loe Fisher; Renee Gentry, JD; John Green, MD; Diane Harper, MD, MPH, MS; Paul Offit, MD; Walter Orenstein, MD; Lawrence Palevsky, MD; Robert Sears, MD; Christopher Shaw, MD; Clifford Shoemaker, JD and Melinda Wharton, MD.
Dallas Film Festival Tickets
"The Greater Good” will be screened at the Dallas Film Festival at the Angelika Film Center, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas in Theatre 7 at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 2 and in Theater 6 at 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 3. Advance tickets for the Saturday screening are sold out but $10 tickets are still available for the Sunday evening screening.
On Sunday at Noon, there will be a special panel roundtable discussion on a proposed Texas state bill mandating meningitis vaccine for all college students in Theater 7 of the Angelika Film Center. The panel includes pediatricians Lawrence Palevsky, MD and Bob Sears, MD; Dawn Richardson and Rebecca Rex, co-founders of the Texas-based Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education (PROVE); and moderator Barbara Loe Fisher, NVIC co-founder & president. Admission is free with no tickets and seating limited to first come, first serve.
Arizona International Film Festival
“The Greater Good” will be screened at the Arizona International Film Festival on Tuesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. in the Screening Room, 127 East Congress St, Tucson. For more information about the Arizona Film Festival, click here.
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