Last night Spectrum had the privilege of hosting a Q&A session for the Genetic Alliance’s Gene Screen and I was honored to attend The Gene Screen, an annual review of films and shorts focused on health and genetics. The session wasn’t long, around an hour and a half, but it was filled with the type of emotion normally reserved for big budget ‘tear jerkers.’
The list of films varied from personal stories like “Me and Antoine B.” and “Aiden’s Journey: Awareness and Hope” to more traditional Public Service Announcements like “No More Hand-Me-Downs: Research Designed for Children.” But the one thing they all had in common was their strength.
Strength isn’t something that often comes to mind when you think about the process of making a movie, but I was moved by the sheer force of will it took to make some of these films. Film production alone is a difficult, draining process that forces individuals to work long hours, editing and poring over meticulous tasks. Add to that the emotional burden of working on material as powerful and heartbreaking as the stories of these genetic disorders, and its truly remarkable the films were completed.
