PRESS KIT. GENERATION RX. Press Materials and Information pertaining to the Common Radius release

Transcription

1 presents a new documentary PRESS KIT Press Materials and Information pertaining to the Common Radius release \\ t \\ f \\

2 FILM SYNOPSIS For decades, scores of doctors, government officials, journalists, and others have extolled the benefits of psychiatric medicines for children. GENERATION RX presents the rest of the story and unveils how this era of unprecedented change in Western culture really occurred and what price has been paid by our society. International award-winning filmmaker Kevin P. Miller (Let Truth Be The Bias, The Promised Land) delivers a jaw-dropping emotional ride, and weaves a terrifying tale of criminal conspiracy, the mass abandonment of medical ethics, and the routine betrayal of an entire generation. By employing the expertise of internationally respected professionals from the fields of medicine, ethics, journalism, and academia, investigates collusion between drug companies and their regulatory watchdogs at the FDA and focuses on the powerful stories of real families who followed the advice of their doctors and faced devastating consequences for doing so. is a film about families who confronted horror and found nowhere to turn for help and how scores of children have been caught in the vortex of mind-bending drugs at the earliest stages of their growth and development. This powerful documentary also questions whether we have forced millions of children onto pharmaceutical drugs for commercial rather than scientific reasons. Ultimately, Generation RX may help parents decide whether the perceived benefits of these medications outweigh the serious risks to children. Generation Rx is a film that every parent should see, says Jason Buchanan of ALL MOVIE GUIDE. is a powerful and often chilling eye-opener. Many of the stories stayed with me weeks after viewing, and continue to haunt me now. -Paul Haggis OSCAR -winning writer/director (2006, Crash ) 1

3 KEY ISSUES ISSUES & CONCERNS ADDRESSED IN THE FILM 1. Science or Science Fiction? The Controversy of the Biological Model for Mental Illness 2. A Challenge to Medical Ethics: Psychotropic medicines and Children; Conflict-of-Interest Between Drugmakers and the FDA 3. ADHD: A Widespread Scourge or Shoddy Science? 4. Schools and Street Drugs: How Teachers Often Diagnose Students Instead of Doctors 5. Listening to Prozac: The Troubling Signs of SSRIs Dating Back to the 1980s 6. Murder and Mayhem: Evidence of Suicide and Other Violent Acts Attributable to Psychiatric Drugs 7. The Role of the Media: Has Mainstream Media Become Part of the Problem? 2

4 KEVIN P. MILLER WRITER // PRODUCER // DIRECTOR Kevin P. Miller began ardently pursuing investigative journalism in high school and college, where he won over two dozen awards for his writing. When he turned pro, the awards continued, beginning with his first film Kids in Crisis in With Generation RX, Miller s roots go back to when he first witnessed a video of real people alerting g o v e r n m e n t o f f i c i a l s t o t h e d a n g e r s o f antidepressant medications. I saw a video of people testifying before the FDA in 1991 about Prozac, he said. I was so moved by the power of their personal stories, but apparently the FDA was not. They dismissed the facts laid out by dozens of people as anecdotal and unscientific. I knew then that someday I would produce a film like Generation RX, and that I would give those Americans the opportunity to tell their stories. In the 1990s, Kevin P. Miller began producing documentaries about the great social issues of our time. He was rewarded with numerous international film and television awards and the commendations of critics. His film The Promised Land not only won international accolades, but more importantly to Miller, helped raise nearly $1 million in donations from a live TV audience for the homeless, including homeless war veterans. The Promised Land garnered a Bronze Medal in the category of International TV Programming from the New York International Film and Television Festival, and was nominated for a national Emmy award as well. He followed with an award-winning documentary The War Within, a film about race relations, and another international award-winner, Let Truth Be The Bias, which was narrated by actor James Earl Jones. In 2005, Miller produced We Become Silent, a film about Codex Alimentarius and "free trade," which was narrated by British actress Judi Dench. I learned at a very young age that I was blessed with the ability to write, to tell powerful stories, Miller said recently. So I decided long ago that I would use those gifts to produce films that others might shy away from. Sometimes the issues are challenging and difficult, and sometimes the stories are tragic things we d rather not discuss. But discuss them we must. In 2006, Miller began a partnership with of Vancouver, British Columbia. He has two sons and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. 3

5 COMMON RADIUS FILMS PRODUCTION // DISTRIBUTION is a private documentary and media development company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. This production entity draws on the experience of an internationally recognized team of writers, producers, directors, and executives, led by international award-winning and Emmynominated Kevin P. Miller. marks the first film partnership between Common Radius Films and Miller, and documents how an entire era of children have been caught in the middle of an unprecedented change in Western culture: that of drugging children with psychiatric medications earlier and more often than ever before. This dynamic film has already garnered the support of some of the most respected names in Hollywood, including writer/director Paul Haggis, who won back-to-back Academy Awards for "Million Dollar Baby", and "Crash.", Mr. Haggis said, "is a powerful and often chilling eye-opener. Weeks after viewing, the stories continue to haunt me." 4

6 FEATURED INTERVIEWS \\ Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint is Director of the Media Center of the Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston. He is also a Professor of Psychiatry and Faculty Associate Dean for Student Affairs at Harvard Medical School. \\ Robert Whitaker Robert Whitaker has won numerous awards as a journalist covering medicine and science. In the past few years, he has won the George Polk Award for Medical Writing and a National Association for Science Writers Award for best magazine article. in 1998, he co-wrote a series on psychiatric research for the Boston Globe which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. \\ Dr. Fred Baughman Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD has been an adult & child neurologist, in private practice, for 35 years. \\ Dr. Julian Whitaker Julian M. Whitaker, M.D. is an American physician, author, and practitioner of alternative medicine who operates the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California. He is a member of the American Medical Association and editor of the Health and Healing newsletter. \\ Barry Turner Barry Turner is a Lecturer in Legal Studies in Forensic Science in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK, Criminal Litigator and Mental Health Law Consultant. \\ Sheldon Krimsky Sheldon Krimsky is professor of Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning, School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University and adjunct professor in the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine at the Tufts School of Medicine. 5

7 FILM CREDITS PRIMARY PARTICIPANTS Writer/Director/Producer \\ Kevin P. Miller Producer/Editor \\ Charles L. Gilchrist Executive Producer \\ Johnathan Lindsay Narration \\ David Suchet, OBE Narration Director \\ Rudi Loehwing Associate Producer \\ Christine Parker Original Music & Sound Recordist \\ Richard C. Aylsworth Camera Operators \\ Paul Skomal Alvaro Ron Adoniram Sides Maki Inoue Henry Pikturna Post Production Los Angeles \\ Alkemi Entertainment Creative Consultant \\ Barry Schoor Editorial Consultant \\ Patrick Reagan Post Production Vancouver \\ Transmission Additional Editorial & Finishing \\ Bradley Smith Megan Bodaly Colorist \\ Gary Shaw Technicolor Post Production Advisor \\ Jonas Young Technicolor Sound Design \\ Keith White GGRP Motion Graphics \\ Seungmin Roh Chris Secrest Alkemi Entertainment 6

8 CONTACT INFORMATION ADDITIONAL LINKS & CONTACT INFO Please visit our website to learn more about View trailers, stills, and links to related press-articles Purchase a copy of the film on DVD! KEVIN P. MILLER blog: kevinpmiller@mac.com COMMON RADIUS FILMS post: # West 3rd Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Y 1E9 Canada telephone: fax: web: info@commonradius.com 7

9 Generation RX and all associated media 2008 Generation RX Film Ltd. 8