The 2016-17 Real Life Film Series, documentaries on health science topics and discussions about how the subject matter relates to current work at VCU and impacts global health, explores non-traditional medicine, mental health treatments, the reality of nursing, the search for a cure for AIDS and other thought-provoking topics.

Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences selects non-fiction films relevant to current events. Speakers with expertise in the film’s topic lead the group in lively discussion about the science and issues explored in the film.

The Real Life Film Series is held at the TML Learning Center at Hunton Student Center, noon to 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, 1110 E. Broad. St., Room 209 and is a project of VCU Libraries and University Commons and Activities.

The 2016-17 series is as follows:

Sept. 15

Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory

A joyous cinematic exploration of music's capacity to awaken our souls and reach the deepest parts of our humanity reveals music’s healing power.

Oct. 20

Frontline: The New Asylums

With deep access to crisis wards, prison therapy sessions and mental health treatment meetings, this film offers a disturbing portrait of today’s reality for the mentally ill.

Nov. 17

Death: A Love Story

This film suggests that death can be perceived as a gift if we are able to put our fears, confusions and denial aside and simply sit and listen to our loved ones as they pass.  

Dec. 15

The Battle of AmfAR: The Quest for an AIDS Cure
Reconstructing the history of the AIDS crisis through the twin lenses of medical responses and political activism, the film also explains the science underlying early breakthroughs.

Jan. 19

Mobilize

Can cell phone radiation cause infertility or brain cancer? This film explores the scientific research and the challenges politicians face trying to pass cautionary legislation.

Feb. 16

Soul Food Junkies

Filmmaker Byron Hurt looks at the socioeconomics of the modern American diet from its roots in soul food and to the role it plays in the health crisis in the African-American community.  

March 16

States of Grace: A Journey of Loss, Resilience and Renewal

The film captures the transformation of a revered physician and her family in the wake of a life-changing accident. Family dynamics and roles and responsibilities are turned upside down.

April 20

The Connection: Mind Your Body
Frontier research is proving a direct connection between mind and health. The film features true stories of people adding mind-body medicine to their healing toolkits to recover from severe back pain, heart disease, infertility, cancer and multiple sclerosis.

May 18

Handmaidens and Battleaxes: The Real Story of Nursing
This global picture of nursing, using Australia as a case study, uses rare archival footage, dramatic re-enactments, personal interviews and photographs from nursing colleges worldwide.