Learn and Live Film Series
About the Film Series
Learn and Live is a series of free movies shown quarterly at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) aimed at promoting a community conversation about health and nutrition. All the movies are at 7 pm in the events room of the David H. Murdock Research Institute at 150 Laureate Way on the campus. Following each movie will be a discussion with NCRC scientists and community partners. The Fall 2012 movie and date will be announced. The next movies in the series are Apple Pushers on Monday, July 17 and Food Matters on National Food Day, Wednesday, October 24.
Apple Pushers- Monday, July 17
Apple Pushers will be shown on Monday, July 17, 2012. The movie follows the stories of five immigrant, streetcar vendors who are participating in the Green Cart initiative. The Green Cart initiative is an experiment to bring fresh foods to New York City’s food deserts, where fresh foods are scarce and obesity and diabetes too common. The movie follows vendors dreams of life in America while making a statement about the “intersection of the food desert/obesity crisis, immigration and entry level-entrepreneurship.” The Apple Pushers is written and directed by award winning-documentary film maker Mary Mazzio, narrated by actor Edward Norton and underwritten by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, For more information about the movie, visit www.applepushers.com. Following the movie a local panel will answer questions and discuss the issue presented in the movie.
Food Matters- Wednesday, October 24
Food Matters presents numerous authorities and medical experts who explore the thesis that diet plays a role in treating and preventing disease and other health problems. Considered controversial, the movie questions the established practice of medicine and advocates alternative, diet-based approaches to health. Definitely a movie with food for thought to watch on National Food Day. A panel discussion will be held following the movie to answer audience questions and discuss the issues raised in the movie. Learn more at www.foodmatters.tv.
Previous Learn and Live movies:
Living Proof
Originally shown, Monday, April 16, 2012, the movie Living Proof is based on the 1998 book The Making of Herceptin, A Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer by Robert Bazell. The movie stars Harry Connick Jr. and a cast of other noted actors including Angie Harmon, Swoosie Kurts, Bernadette Peters and Amanda Bynes. The movie follows the true story of Dr. Dennis Slamon, a UCLA oncologist and researcher. From 1988 to 1996, Slamon developed Herceptin (trastuzumab) as a treatment for breast cancer and continued working with the drug through the challenges of clinical trials. Biotech company Genentech received US Food and Drug Administration for Herceptin in 1998. Genentech researchers developed Herceptin along with Slamon ushering in a major breakthrough in the treatment of breast cancer. Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody that stops the over-expression of the HER–2 or erb B2 protein that causes cancerous cells to reproduce rapidly and is the cause of approximately 20 percent of all breast cancers. The drug can be administered alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Herceptin, in combination with chemotherapy, is also approved for the treatment of HER2+ metastatic cancer of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction. Despite controversy regarding cost, side effects and effectiveness, Herceptin has improved the prognosis of women with HER-2-related breast cancer and continues in clinical trials for use in the treatment of other cancers.
Food Stamped
The Food Stamp was shown Monday, February 20, 2012. The hour-long documentary follows Shira and Yoav Potash as they tackle eating a healthy and well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget, which equates to $1 per meal. Their journey takes them from shopping trips and rationing their weekly allotment of food into the policies and politics of the food stamp system. They visit US Congress members who took the Food Stamp Challenge, food justice organizations, food banks, nutritionists, farmers markets and people living on food stamps. Shira Potash is a certified nutrition educator who runs her own nutrition practice and manages the national employee wellness program of a major healthcare organization. Her husband Yoav is an award winning documentary filmmaker who also teaches film courses in the San Francisco, California area. For more information, watch film clips at www.foodstamped.com.
Forks Over Knives
Forks Over Knives, the first movie of the Learn and Live Series, was held Monday, October 24, 2011 on National Food Day. The movie presented the benefits of a plant-based diet and challenged conventional ideas about health and nutrition. Watch the video and read Health, Nutrition and a Plant-Based Diet for the highlights of the Forks Over Knives discussion.