"Sons of Lwala" will screen at Vanderbilt University's International Lens Film Series Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 7pm at the Sarratt Cinema on Vanderbilt's Campus. Q&A will follow. Parking is available at no charge in Zone 2 Lot 2 on West End Avenue.

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"Sons of Lwala" was recently selected to screen during the Transforming Stories International Christian Film Festival in Cape Town, South Africa. The festival runs October 21-November 10, 2011. Transforming Stories is unique in that it is a truly international event. After the South Africa event, "Lwala" will go on to screen in India, Europe, Canada, Australia, and other countries.

Click here to purchase the "Sons of Lwala" DVD.

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We're pretty pumped that 5,000 kids attending an outdoor music concert in Panama City were treated beforehand to a screening of "Sons of Lwala." The honor came after "Sons" was selected to the Attic Film Festival earlier this year.

It's been an interesting year for the film, this being the third year since its initial release in 2008. Along with TV distribution deals, "Sons" has begun its international festival run. The Dove Foundation, which ranks and reviews family films, had nice things to say about the film: "This is an inspiring and extraordinary story and DVD...It is a story very much worth watching and hearing." (The Dove Foundation awarded "Sons" its highest ranking, 5 Doves.)

Just when we thought momentum behind this little film was slowing down, we were surprised again this year by interest in places we never imagined. Thanks to all have supported this story and have given it new life and exposure!

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SCP just completed a TV special for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. "Where Discovery Brings Hope" explores the cutting-edge research being done at the hospital and the fascinating back-stories of doctors who work there. If you live in Nashville and you're not doing anything this Friday night at 7pm - and really, who of us will be? - then turn on WTVF-Channel 5 at 7pm and check out some of the really amazing stuff going on at Children's Hospital.

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SCP NOMINATED FOR REGIONAL "DOCUMENTARY" EMMY

Last Friday we found out SCP has been nominated for a regional Emmy for our Vanderbilt-sponsored documentary, "Your Genome and Future of Medicine." The show aired earlier this year winning its prime-time time slot, which was cool enough, but this nomination is way cooler. Of course, now this means we have buy tix, dress up, and prepare a speech. I wonder if my suit even fits anymore?

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SCP WINS SECOND TELLY AWARD

This week we got word that we'd won another Telly Award, which honors television commercials and programs, as well as video and film productions around the country. The award was for a video we directed and produced last year called Help Portrait -- which is still one of our favorites. You can watch it here.

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VIDEO FOR TN SUPREME COURT LAUNCHES TODAY

The Tennessee Supreme Court released a video today that we produced for them recently to kick-off a state-wide campaign called "Access To Justice." The initiative is meant to bring attention to the great need for assistance in civil cases among those who can't afford to hire attorneys. So many Tennesseans are out of work, or are barely scraping by, that they simply don't have the means to challenge a summons by a landlord, a governmental agency, or an ex-spouse. This means they're forced to represent themselves, with often disastrous results.

This is why the Supreme Court is launching the "Access To Justice" campaign, and why they asked us to help them illustrate the issue for a broad audience. Click the video below to watch.

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Well, we've run a marathon at a sprinter's pace, but "Your Genome and The Future of Medicine" is finished and set to air in prime-time here in Nashville tomorrow night. Amazing, I must say, that our team pulled this together in four weeks. The broadcast explores how doctors and researchers are using genetics to treat and even predict diseases by reading each person's unique DNA.

For a guy who'd never even heard of "personalized medicine" until five weeks ago, the topic was pretty intimidating, but once I started to wrap my head around the possibilities it became a fascinating undertaking. If, for example, doctors know your DNA, then they can tell you -- with an impressive degree of certainty -- which drug will shrink your malignant tumor. They can read your genotype and warn you about a disease you don't even show symptoms for yet. Or predict whether you'll have a negative reaction to a drug. And that's just the beginning. As researchers make more connections between our DNA and diseases, they'll be able to create drugs that are tailor-fit to our own bodies, meaning there will be hope for those who suffer from Alzheimers, Parkinsons, and even depression.

We're extremely grateful to Vanderbilt for the chance to dig into this. It's been a mind-blowing month and I feel like I've been through a semester of med school. So if you're around tomorrow night be sure to check it out at 7pm on WTVF-TV Channel 5. Enjoy!

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WHY THEY CALL IT A "CRASH EDIT"

Talk about a tight turnaround. Three weeks ago we began production on a thirty-minute documentary for the Vanderbilt Medical Center on a topic called "personalized medicine." This week we started slamming our way through the edit and in 11 short days it will premiere on the NBC affiliate in Lexington, KY. To put this in context: my last documentary took me two-and-a-half years to complete. This one, from first meeting to final delivery, will clock in at five weeks.

And here's the crazy part: we're actually going to pull this off. And not just barely. We've put together a phenomenal team and a work-flow that is as elegant as it is efficient. As I write, our designer in Los Angeles is sketching animations, our composer is roughing out a score, and our editor is laying out the actual timeline. I can't wait for next week when we begin assembling all these elements.

I actually really, really enjoy these tight turnarounds. The stakes are high, the adrenaline is flowing, and it makes me feel like I'm in news again. Back when I was just starting out at Dateline NBC, producers would sometimes pull together an entire hour-long special in the span of a weekend. Everyone laid aside their individual projects to lend a hand on the breaking news -- dozens of them, from senior execs to production assistants -- and coordinate what they called a "crash edit." It was all hands on deck as everyone kept an eye on the clock, because if the program wasn't loaded in a tape deck ready for someone to punch PLAY at the appointed time, then millions of confused viewers would be inexplicably treated to a re-run of "Law and Order" -- and that, frankly, wasn't an option.

So it's fun to be back in the hot seat for a bit. We've got a long week ahead of us, and I'm excited to cross the finish line. But like with every marathon, the best part I think will be catching up on rest afterward. We'll be shipping a tape to the Lexington NBC affiliate late next week for its premiere on June 9th. I won't be in the office that day. If all goes according to plan, I expect to be under the stars somewhere in New Mexico savoring a race well run.

By the way, for those of you in Nashville, the program will air here on Thursday, June 17, on WTVF-Channel 5 at 7 pm.

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For those of you in Nashville who haven't yet seen "Sons of Lwala," you can catch it for free tonight on Vanderbilt University's campus. It's being screened as part of the Better World Film Festival, alongside several other films including the Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc. and the Leonardo DiCaprio eco wake-up call The 11th Hour. The showing for Sons of Lwala will begin tonight at 7:00 pm on the Vanderbilt Library lawn.

You can also catch Fred Ochieng' -- one of the Sons of Lwala -- at noon today in Light Hall, Room 208, as he offers updates on what's been happening back in Lwala.

The festival, in honor of World Health Week, is sponsored by Global Poverty Initiative, Vanderbilt ONE, TOMS Shoe Club, Students for Kenya, Spear, VIVA, and the Vanderbilt Anthropology Dept.

Click here for details from the Nashville Scene.

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