maudlin lucile: The Stories of Health Innovation ? Fast Forward Health Film Festival ...

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Stories of Health Innovation ? Fast Forward Health Film Festival ...

An artist-turned-ePatient advocate. ?The Food Service director for a public school system. ?A multi-award-winning filmmaking team. ?What do they all have in common?

First, they?re going to extraordinary lengths to change healthcare in America ? starting at a grassroots level. ?Second, they?re all a part of the?Fast Forward Health Film Festival?in?San Francisco?tomorrow night (Tuesday, October 30).

?Storytelling is a centuries old method to pass down information to generations. Stories involved emotion, purpose and answers. All the things we need to be plugged into now in order to make sustainable impact and change across the spectrum of health. The?FastForward Health Film Festival?(tickets here) was created when?Andre Blackman?and?David Haddad?came together from similar backgrounds in health communications, economics and policy and with aligned passions around the great innovations happening around the world. They noticed that the traditional health fields were not highlighting the absolutely positive things going on in the health landscape and we wanted to change that.

With a focus on?showing the stories?of these change makers, they sincerely hope to inspire and motivate others who care about health and positive social impact, to take part in: building important things, partnering with others doing great work and supporting them through time or financial donations. They?ve had the fortune of holding two great events in Washington DC and New York City -?the initial launch event in DC?(which was sold out in 4 days of word of mouth only promotion) and participating in?Social Media Week?s Health/Wellness track in NYC.?

Fast Forward Health?s film lineup is amazing ? but I?ll get back to that in a moment. ?Your participation on Tuesday is about more than the films. ?It?s about engaging with others in the community who care ? passionately ? about health, and who have a crazy belief that they can change things little by little.

When you show up at the Delancey Street Screening Room (600 Embarcadero) at 6:00 on Tuesday, you?ll have a chance to mix and mingle with many of those people. ?Both?David?and?Andre?will be there, as will a number of special guests (The Hub San Francisco, The?American Public Health Association,?CNN?and?TheNextWeb?will all be represented, for starters). ?There?ll be food and drink served (all included in the $5 admission price) ? because, as Andre says, ?when we break bread and share a drink together, it?s a symbol of what we?re trying to do with Fast Forward Health. ?Food and drink is a huge determinant in our health, and we wanted to have a tangible reminder of that as a part of the festival.?

In between each film, you?ll get to hear from folks who are doing big things in innovating health ? people like:

The films aren?t to be missed ? starting with?Regina Holliday?s unbelievably powerful story of patient empowerment,?73 cents:

Cafeteria Man?is documentary about team in Baltimore that?s reshaping the city?s school lunch program:

Escape Fire?looks at alternative ways to break down the healthcare system for rapid change. ?This multi-award winning film (and selection for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival) just hit theaters a few weeks ago ? but you can see it at Fast Forward Health in an amazing context.

ESCAPE FIRE: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (Trailer) from Our Time Projects on Vimeo.

All in all, this looks like a night not to be missed ? The tickets are going fast, but you should still be able to get yours?here.

I?m really excited to see where Andre and David will go with the festival, because its storytelling foundation has really been striking a chord with all kinds of audiences. ?I?d also be remiss if I didn?t call attention to the need for sponsors ? for more information, click here ? and much appreciation is due to the sponsors of the San Francisco event:?The McKesson Foundation,?Health 2.0,?CrowdTilt, and?Tides. Andre and David also wanted to extend a shout out to?Practice Fusion?and?RockHealth?for all that they?ve done to help guide and promote the festival.

Even if you can?t make it Tuesday night, follow Fast Forward Health on?Twitter?and like ?em on?Facebook. ?And don?t forget to tell your friends!