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The production company, 371 Productions, plans to film a documentary in Lowndes County this Fall. They are currently seeking local citizens who have epilepsy or show symptoms of the disease. 

Brad Lichtenstein is the director of the film.Lichtenstein is an award winning, Emmy nominated, director and has been making documentaries for over 20 years. He has won two Duponts and a Telly award.

Marissa J. Williams is the producer. Williams is an Afro-Latina filmmaker and producer. She has one several awards at various screenings. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s film department with a  Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in 2019. Williams has a passion for documentary and non-linear forms of media that inform, move, and educate audiences. 

Epilepsy is very common with more than three million cases per year in the U.S. The disease is a disorder that disrupts normal cell activity in the brain and causes seizures and has a wide variety of symptoms including loss of consciousness or awareness, temporary confusion and bouts of déjà vu, anxiety and seizures that range from mild to severe. Symptoms of a seizure can include blankly staring for a few seconds for some, while others repeatedly twitch their arms and legs. 

Anyone can have epilepsy, it affects both male and females of all races, ethnicities, and age.It can affect people without them ever knowing they have the condition. There is no known cure but treatments are available to help manage the condition. 

This is why it is so important that local citizens who have this condition aid in the production of this documentary. With their help, fellow Lowndes County residents who have unknowingly suffered with this condition could finally get answers to what has been ailing them all this time. 

The primary focus of the documentary is lack of medical facilities in rural areas, such as Lowndes County, that are adequately equipped to care for epilepsy patients. Many citizens in the county do not even have a general practitioner, and a specialty physician such as a neurologist would mean traveling long distances and be extremely expensive. 

 

Lichtenstein and Williams are asking that anyone in the area that believes they may have Epilepsy to contact them. The documentary will try to bring light to the lack of medical care, especially specialty care, in the area but they will need residents to come forward to show that specialty care is needed in the community.

Their most recent documentary entitled can be viewed at Metcalfe Park: Black Vote Rising https://worldchannel.org/episode/local-usa-metcalfe-park-black-vote-rising/ and was aired on PBS Broadcasting. 

If you would like to be considered to be in the documentary, please email Marissa J. Williams at Marissa@371productions.com or call her at 414-514-3130.

For more information on 371 Productions, please visit their website: https://www.371productions.com.