We Won Again!
“Tales From the Organ Trade” won two Ravens from Docutah; one for Ric Bienstock for Best Direction and another for Ric, Felix Golubev and me for Best Film! This honour comes after the film took Best Sign of the Times at the Documentary Edge Film Festival in New Zealand.
“Tales From The Organ Trade” is a gritty and unflinching descent into the shadowy world of black-market organ trafficking: the street-level brokers, the rogue surgeons, the impoverished men and women who are willing to sacrifice a slice of their own bodies for a quick payday, and the desperate patients who face the agonizing choice of obeying the law or saving their lives. From Manila to Istanbul, from Colorado to Kosovo, from Toronto to Tel Aviv, the film explores every facet of organ trafficking, reigniting controversial issues that many thought were settled long ago.
Thousands of people die waiting for a kidney. Tens of thousands who have kidneys to sell are prevented by various legislations and condemned to a life of poverty and prostitution. Still others go underground and sell their kidneys without any guarantee of payment or proper aftercare. People are dying and the system is in shambles.
For the first time ever, this film showcases an anatomy of a single black market operation. We gained unprecedented access to all the players. “Tales From the Organ Trade” is not to be missed.
If you want to catch this David Cronenberg narrated film before its airing on HBO in the US, History Television in Canada and various broadcasters around the world, here are the upcoming international festivals that the film will screen at during the month of October. Director Ric Bienstock will be attending some of these events.
Upcoming Festivals (October)
Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, Flagstaff, Arizona (screening date is October 11th at 12:00PM. Please check website for tickets.)
http://www.flagstaffmountainfilms.org/
London International Film Festival, London, UK (screening date is October 15th at 10:35AM. Please check website for tickets.)
http://londoninternationalfilmfestival.com/london-iff-tickets/
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Hot Springs, Arkansas (screening date is October 16th at 6:00PM. Please check website for tickets.) – Director Ric Bienstock will be attending this festival for a Q&A after the film screenings.
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4619125930
Orlando Film Festival, Orlando, Florida (screening date is October 17th at 1:00PM. Please check website for tickets.)
http://orlandofilmfest.com/
Mumbai Film Festival, Mumbai, IN (festival runs October 17-24. Please check website for tickets and screening time.)
http://www.mumbaifilmfest.org/
Margaret Mead Film Festival, New York City (screening date is October 18th at 7PM. Please check website for tickets) – Director Ric Bienstock will be attending this festival for a Q&A after the film screenings.
http://www.amnh.org/explore/margaret-mead-film-festival
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Hot Springs, Arkansas (screening date is October 19th at 3:00PM. Please check website for tickets.)
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4619125930
Bergen International Film Festival, Bergen, NW (festival runs October 23-30. Please check website for tickets and screening times.)
http://www.biff.no/informasjon/article1113960.ece?language=english
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, St. John’s, Newfoundland (screening date is October 24 at 4:30PM. Please check website for tickets.) – Director Ric Bienstock will be attending this festival for a Q&A after the film screenings.
http://www.womensfilmfestival.com/the-festival/tickets/
Indie Memphis Film Festival, Memphis, TN (screening date is November 1 at 6:45PM. Please check website for tickets.) – Director Ric Bienstock will be attending this festival for a Q&A after the film screenings.
http://indiememphis.com/festival-passes/
Click here to see my recent article “Wiki Wars” on The Times of Israel
