Sold Out! Standing Ovation!
Skin Deep: The Battle Over Morgellons' World Premiere at the Awareness Film Festival in Los Angeles was a big success.
The sold-out screening received a standing ovation and when the first Q&A was cut short after 10 minutes because of scheduling, everyone moved down to the mezzanine level to continue the Q&A.
Audience member Lisa Fendelander posted this message about the premiere: “Just finished watching the world premiere and panel talk for Pi Ware’s fascinating new documentary on Morgellon’s Disease: Skin Deep: The Battle Over Morgellons. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence linking the disease to the same causal agent as Lyme Disease (the bacteria Borrelia Burgdorferi), the CDC still labels it as patient delusion... even though most sufferers who are lucky enough to get treated with long-term antibiotics by knowledgeable doctors GET BETTER. Unfortunately other doctors respond to that as simply a “placebo effect” and further evidence that the disease is delusional. This sentiment creates deep mistrust between patients, doctors, family and friends, when the patients are by default already a vulnerable community. One of the women featured in this trailer committed suicide a few months after filming.
6% of Lyme Disease patients develop Morgellon’s, so although it is a relatively small percentage, the story line of being dismissed by uneducated doctors is all too familiar, and it hits a little too close to home for me.
During the panel talk, the question was asked what are next steps towards legitimizing this disease in the eyes of the medical community, and the unanimous answer was to share this information with family and friends - that perspective shifts in medicine are often downstream from the culture’s.
So I hope people will watch this trailer and the documentary when it becomes available to stream because ultimately we need more funding and advocacy for all patients who are shunned and suffering in silence.”
Educational & Community Distribution
The World Premiere also coincides with Skin Deep’s launch of Educational and Community Distribution, wherein concerned citizens, schools, universities and libraries can purchase an educational copy of Skin Deep and host a screening. The educational copy also allows the group or individual to host a fundraiser and charge admission to cover the cost of the venue, DVD, and concessions.
