A feature-length documentary following a wildlife TV star who has
sacrificed both fame and wealth to bring free healthcare to ordinary Americans.
THE FILM
www.medicinemanstanbrock.com
In his early thirties,
Stan Brock co-starred on one of America’s most popular television shows, seen
by 32,000,000 viewers every week. Today, decades later, he sleeps on a grass mat
in the basement of an unheated building. He has no bank account, no house,
no car, no possessions of any value. And he is living his dream. He
is touching more lives with greater impact than ever before.
In 1985, a mid-life crisis led this wildlife TV
star to sell everything he owned and create a medical charity to run
relief missions into the developing world. Their motto was - ‘go wherever the
need is greatest’. At the time, that meant the developing world, but these
days, the challenge has changed. An organization founded to help people in
India, Africa and South America, now finds itself throwing America a lifeline.
Since 1992, Stan Brock has provided over $60
million of free healthcare to around 300,000 US patients. His expeditions take the
form of vast pop-up health clinics, stocked with donated drugs and run by an army
of volunteers. These clinics serve the 13,000,000 Americans who are
uninsured or under-insured; those who go years without seeing a doctor. Brock
sets them up overnight in vacant lots, warehouses, sports halls; wherever he can
find the space. At the break of dawn, he throws the doors open to the
thousands who have queued, accepting all comers with no questions asked - and he has personally opened each and every one of his 730 clinics to date. As if that were not enough,
he finds still more time to campaign for citizen healthcare rights on Capitol Hill andserves First Nation Americans on Reservations.
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He never imagined he’d be distributing basic medical care to US citizens throughout Appalachia, California, Illinois, and
this coming November, in New York. His patients are America’s working poor;
people with jobs and families, but without insurance.
Says Stan: “It's very sad that the
state of affairs requires us to provide this kind of care in the world's
richest country.”
This huge operation is the
brainchild of a British man who is something of an errant adventurer. Brock
fled his stuffy public school to becomean Amazonian cowboy, and was later
discovered by a TV producer who whisked him away to America, to make him an
anaconda-wrestling wildlife TV star.
Fame and stardom ensued, as he made a name for
himself as the man who could lasso charging wildebeests on the African plains
and face down roaring jaguars in the Guyanese jungle. But fame was not what he
was looking for. He was searching for something more valuable, more meaningful
in life.
Our film asks what fuels this 78 year-old
Englishman superman with the stamina of a 25 year-old; a man more accustomed to the savannas of The Amazon and the Smokey
Mountains of Tennessee, than his homeland of the United Kingdom? And why has he
chosen to devote his life to bringing decent free health services to the people
of America?
This is an inspiring and challenging story about an unlikely man
on an unwavering and improbable mission to confront one of the biggest social issues of our time.
THE FUNDING
By running this Indiegogo campaign, we aim to fund our next four
weeks of shooting (as a two-person crew). After perks and fees, we will raise approximately $20,000. $15,000 will pay for two weeks following
Stan on the campaign trail in Washington and Appalachia, and two weeks covering
his biggest clinic ever in NYC and subsequent work in East Tennessee. The remaining $5,000 will pay for several hours of archive to be transferred from 16mm and VHS and for other rights clearances. With this footage in the can, we can put together a rough-cut to return to the broadcasters
who have shown an interest. We aim to get
this important documentary feature-film completed by early 2015.
THE PERKS
We think you'll agree that Stan's journey through life has been truly
remarkable, and is a great tale that simply must be told. You can join us
in the telling of that unique story by making a donation or getting the word
out about our campaign. Our rewards allow you to dress like Stan, live
like Stan, help out like Stan, be Stan! Become part of The Stan Brock Story.
THE
FILMMAKING TEAM
We are
a team of American and British filmmakers (some of whom are directly effected
by US healthcare issues) who believe passionately in improving US healthcare
for all, and supporting the amazing work that Stan Brock and his charity carry
out.
Paul Michael Angell –
Director
Paul is a British filmmaker who specialises in
portraits of ordinary people with extraordinary lives. Originally from
Motherwell, Scotland, he studied a BA in Media at Sussex University and gained
an MA in Documentary from Royal Holloway.
Now living in London, his directorial debut
CODE SWITCHING was screened at The National Portrait Gallery, and tells the
incredible story of a man who speaks with two entirely different accents.
In the last few years, Paul has worked as a
Camera Operator and AP on documentary feature films like THE BEAUTIFUL GAME and THE NEGOTIATORS, as well as
shooting for PBS America, ITV’s
investigative documentary series EXPOSURE and Channel 4's 16 KIDS AND COUNTING in the
UK.
Tom Goudsmit -
Cinematographer
Tom is an award-winning DOP whose credits
include BAFTA-winning documentaries for BBC2, BBC3, Channel 4 and Channel 5. He
shot and directed the BBC's THE CLEVELAND CAPTIVES and has filmed in over 15
countries, working on a range of documentaries including golf for NBC, Paralympics for PBS, and the soon
to be released documentary feature FROM BEDROOMS TO BILLIONS
