| The Apothecary (18 min) US |
Saturday 10/18, 8:30 PM (Session 8)
Director/Producer: Helen Hood Scheer
Description:
In an impoverished former mining town in the American Southwest, a beloved druggist runs the community's main hub: the sole pharmacy within 4,000 square miles. He gamely occupies multiple roles as a surrogate doctor, life counselor and community benefactor. His sanguine public persona, however, belies a long-suffered private pain for which there is no drug, no cure and no relief.
Biography:
Helen Hood Scheer is a documentary filmmaker, professor, and freelance producer. Documentaries that she directed/produced/shot have screened at over 150 festivals and museums including HOT DOCS, FULL FRAME, TRUE/FALSE, LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL, and the NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART; she has also produced documentaries for HBO, PBS, A&E, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and other networks. Helen made her directorial debut with "JUMP!"—an award-winning documentary feature film about competitive jump rope following kids pursue their dream of becoming world champions, which was acquired by SHOWTIME, broadcast nearly 250 times, and optioned for fictionalization. Her most recent documentary short, "The Apothecary", is about a druggist who operates the only pharmacy within a 4,000 square mile radius in the American Southwest while navigating a profound divide between his personal and professional life; it premiered at DOC NYC, won both SPECIAL JURY and SPECIAL AUDIENCE RECOGNITION at ASPEN SHORTSFEST, and a gold medal at the STUDENT ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY. Both "JUMP!" and "The Apothecary" were selected by the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE as part of the AMERICAN FILM SHOWCASE, a film diplomacy program which will travel to American embassies worldwide. Recently, Helen also served as Archival Producer for IN COUNTRY, a documentary feature film about Vietnam War reenactors which earned several honors, including a grant from the SUNDANCE INSTITUTE and the GARRETT SCOTT/FULL FRAME AWARD; it will be distributed soon, along with an outreach campaign for Vets. Helen earned a BA with highest honors in American Studies and a minor in History from UC Santa Cruz and a M.F.A. in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University. Currently, Helen is developing several documentaries, including a series on her hometown of Venice, CA.
Contact Information:
Nutshell Productions, LLC
e: hello@nutshellproductions.com
w: www.nutshellproductions.com/THE-APOTHECARY
©2014 United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF)
