Frank Christopher, executive producer of the series, will speak on Tuesday, October 10 at Grand Valley State University. An advance screening of "Hand in Hand" the final episode in the series which airs during October on PBS, will be shown at 7 p.m., in room 123 Manitou Hall on the Allendale Campus, followed by an audience discussion. The event, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Communications, is free and open to the public.
Christopher is an award-winning producer, director, writer and editor who has been making documentaries since 1970 in the U.S., Latin America, Africa and Asia. He worked on this series for five years.
"We wanted to present detailed and emotionally engaging profiles of people who are struggling to fix our broken health care system," said Christopher. "The stories told are by doctors, nurses, administrators and patients, showing their struggles, their setbacks and their victories."
Included among the many awards garnered by Christopher's films and television programs are: an Academy Award Nomination for Best Feature Length Documentary, six Emmys, two CINE Golden Eagle Awards, the Blue Ribbon Award from the American Film Festival, the Gold and Silver Awards from the Houston International Festival, the Grand Coral First Prize from the New Latin American Cinema (Havana, Cuba), the Outstanding Documentary Award from the National Latino Film and Video Festival, and the Director's Choice Award from the Thomas Edison-Black Maria Film and Video Festival.
"This is an excellent opportunity to meet the central person behind this important PBS series which has received widespread endorsement, including from those within the medical community," said Alex Nesterenko, director of the School of Communications. "The event is relevant to anyone interested in health care in America as well as those interested in the process of making successful documentary films."
This event is free and open to the public. For more information call (616) 331- 3668 or visit www.ramcampaign.org.
