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Los Angeles Film Festivals Show They Have Heart in 2013
Life Changing Moments, a moving documentary in regards to the medical mission of American surgeon Dr. Sherry Thomas to aid women in Uganda experiencing fistula has won two prizes at upcoming Southland film festivals: First place for Best Documentary Short on the L . a . Cinema Festival of Hollywood and 3rd place in the same category on the Sunset Film Festival of Los Angeles.
A public screening from the film is going to be held on the Sunset Festival on May 12, 6 PM on the White Fire Theater, 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. For tickets head to: https://sites.google.com/site/sunsetfilmfestivallosangeles/tickets
Also, on the same location in Sherman Oaks, the film is going to be shown included in the LA Cinema Festival on July 3. For details and tickets, go: www.hollywoodcff.com/ In 2012, Dr. Thomas, who is another urogynecologist having a practice within the Los Angeles area, traveled to Uganda at the invitation of renowned African singer and women’s advocate Halima Namakula. Ms. Namakula asked Dr. Thomas on her behalf assistance for impoverished females and their essential surgeries for fistula repair.
I knew what life was as with another world country, says Dr. Thomas, but I wasn’t prepared for what medical care was like. Once i realized how easy it was to correct these women’s problems, I needed to help.
Dr. Thomas invited filmmaker Sandra Mohr and Los Angeles Times journalist Wendy Thermos together with her around the vacation to make the a movie about the experience. The documentary follows Dr. Thomas’ efforts to offer free health care to Ugandan women battling with fistula, a dent inside the birth canal caused by prolonged labor which includes devastating consequences, both medical and social.
The nightmare of life with fistulas is rare under western culture because of our advanced health care. But in Africa, at least 2 million women reside using this condition. Often times, the would-be mother becomes an outcast in their community due to severe incontinence, and it is rejected by her husband and left to languish alone without family or friends. Uganda has got the 3rd highest rate of fistula on the planet.
The film focuses on the medical and human journey of both as a famous and African woman through their experiences with fistula, showing how services in African countries equate to the West. The 18-minute film can be looked at on the non-profit organization’s website http://LifeChangingMoments.org.
In providing this life-changing surgery for the women of Uganda Dr. Thomas herself had a life-changing moment, and founded a non-profit organization, Life Changing Moments, to aid more women in Africa.
The cost with this kind of surgical procedures are only $50-$200 U.S. dollars per patient, Dr. Thomas said. And yet it really is truly life-changing for ladies who can certainly be reunited making use of their families. Our online charity makes it easy to aid and is also a powerful way to support the work continuing. Donations for the non-profit can be produced at http://lifechangingmoments.org/category/donations/
Contact: Shirley Louis, 818/991-0988 Life Changing Moments e-mail: lifechangingmoments.org(at)gmail.com website: http://LifeChangingMoments.org. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIC-vkSlsg
