Please note that the national PBS broadcast dates for both films are reflected below. For exact broadcast times, please tell your readers to check their local listings at http://www.pbs.org/pov/tvschedule.php "Critical Condition", airs on Tuesday September 30 at 9pm (90 minutes)*
What happens if you fall sick and are one of 47 million people in America without health insurance? "Critical Condition" by Roger Weisberg ("Waging a Living," P.O.V. 2006) puts a human face on the nation's growing health care crisis by capturing the harrowing struggles of four critically ill Americans who discover that being uninsured can cost them their jobs, health, home, savings, even their lives. Filmed in vérité style, "Critical Condition" offers a moving and invaluable expose at a time when the nation is debating how to extend health insurance to all Americans.
* Immediately following the 90-minute broadcast of Critical Condition, PBS’s McNeil/Lehrer Productions will present a half-hour special, “Rx for Change,” exploring the presidential candidates’ proposals for health care reform. Susan Dentzer, health correspondent for The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer, will moderate the discussion, which will include spokespersons for the candidates as well as distinguished health policy experts.
"In the Family”, airs on Wednesday, Oct 1 at 9pm (90 minutes)*
How much would you sacrifice to survive? When Chicago filmmaker Joanna Rudnick tested positive for the "breast cancer gene" at age 27, she knew the information could save her life. She also knew she was not only confronting mortality at an early age, but would have to make heart-wrenching decisions about the life that lay ahead of her. Should she take the irreversible preventive step of having her breasts and ovaries removed, or risk developing cancer? What would happen to her romantic life, her hopes for a family? "In the Family" documents Rudnick's efforts to reach out to other women while facing her deepest fears.
*The filmmaker’s journey includes her confrontation with the biotech company that owns the patent on the BRCA genes and testified in Washington, D.C., for the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (which provides legal protection against genetic discrimination from insurance companies and employers).She also interviews Martha, an activist who works tirelessly to keep African American women in the fight against breast cancer despite trying to battle the disease without health insurance.
Please consider informing members of your community about the film's national PBS broadcast by:
- Posting announcements on your website's events calendar.
- Linking to the film's trailer on your site.
- Posting announcements in your newsletters.
- Forwarding an html email from P.O.V. to your members. Please let us know if you want us to send it to you. They are sent out the closer we get to the broadcast date.
- Please be sure to send a copy of your newsletter or the link to your calendar with the announcement to events@pov.org
If you are interested in applying to host a classroom or community event with these films, please register as user in our Community Network - www.amdoc.org/outreach/events/register.php. You can borrow these films for free through our Community Engagement department. Through our Community Network you can also receive reminders for upcoming broadcasts, local events, downloadable materials and other partnership opportunities. You can also sign up there for the P.O.V. newsletter. If you have any questions, please contact me at villasenor@pov.org or 212-989-8121 x319.
Thank you so much for your time and attention.
Best Regards,
Irene Villaseñor, Youth Views Manager
American Documentary, Inc. | P.O.V.
32 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004
(212) 989-8121, extension 319, (212) 989-8230-fax
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View the film trailers at:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/criticalcondition/preview.html
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/inthefamily/preview.html
To check your local PBS stations for broadcast times and view our full TV schedule, visit: http://www.pbs.org/pov/tvschedule.php
If you have any questions about the 2008 Season, please consult our online pressroom for photos and press releases at http://www.amdoc.org/pressroom_pov2008.php
