A doctor's dream wins Grand Prix at WHO Health for All Film Festival
May 14, 2020
The short film was created by Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) a not-for-profit research and development organisation.
The first-ever World Health Organization (WHO) Health for All Film Festival was held on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, in Geneva online to coincide with the International Day of Nurses.
The short film "A doctor's dream," which is about the development of the first all-oral treatment for sleeping sickness, fexinidazole, won the Grand Prix.
The short film was created by Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) a not-for-profit research and development organisation.
It was selected from almost 1300 entries, with a jury featuring world-renowned filmmakers and storytellers choosing the winners.
"As a medical doctor, I know about these diseases but, this film brings out the impactful emotional side," said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan Chief Scientist at WHO, in her remarks at the award ceremony.
Swaminathan, congratulated Dr. Victor Kande, who as Neglected Tropical Diseases Expert Advisor to the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was the principal investigator of the trials that led to the approval of fexinidazole.
Dr. Bernard Pécoul Executive Director, DNDi says the film"A doctor's dream" is a tribute to a lifetime dedicated to finding an effective and safe cure for people with sleeping sickness.
Sleeping sickness is transmitted by a tsetse fly bite. It is usually fatal without treatment. About 65 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk.
In Uganda, the major risk of the disease persists in the southeast extending from the northern shore of Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga.
Last year, countries, where sleeping sickness is endemic, started using fexinidazole, for treatment of the disease. Fexinidazole will support international efforts to eliminate sleeping sickness.
"I hope our film will offer people some hope that by working together, we can deliver desperately-needed health tools for not only neglected populations but for the entire world," said Pécoul.
DNDi has received a grant of $10,000 from WHO to continue making similar films.