The Real Life Film Series, hosted yearly by Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, returns with a new selection of non-fiction films relevant to current events and topics in global health. The lunchtime screenings provide a fun and informative break in the day for students and professionals in the VCU academic community. A discussion follows each screening about the science and issues explored in each film.

The series starts with a dinnertime showing of Give Me a Shot of Anything on Sept. 17, 2019 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Larrick Student Center Court End Ballroom. The film follows a street doctor and his team as they provide medical care for Boston’s homeless population. A buffet dinner accompanies the film and a discussion will follow. More details and registration. This event is held in conjunction with the VCU Common Book program.

New to this year is a dinnertime screening of The Power to Heal in conjunction with Black History Month. The screening takes place Feb. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Larrick Student Center Court End Ballroom. The film covers the history of the American healthcare system and the fight for equal access. Dinner will be provided and a discussion will follow. More details and registration.

All other showings will take place over lunch from 12:10-1 p.m. in the Tompkins-McCaw Lecture Room 2-010. Full schedule and details below.

Give Me a Shot of Anything
Sept. 17, 5–7 p.m.
Larrick Student Center
Court End Ballroom 
Follow a street doctor and his team as they make house calls to the homeless, offering their patients hope and a chance to feel whole again.
A buffet-style dinner will be provided, first come, first served.

This event is held in conjunction with the VCU Common Book program. The 2019–20 common book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond, follows eight families in Milwaukee struggling to keep their homes and explores a larger eviction crisis happening nationwide.

The Bleeding Edge
Oct. 15, 12:10–1 p.m.
Tompkins-McCaw Library
Lecture Room 2-010
Look at the unforeseen consequences of advanced technological devices used in the medical field.

Doctor Diaries
Nov. 12, 12:10–1 p.m.
Tompkins-McCaw Library
Lecture Room 2-010
Follow seven doctors on their journey starting at Harvard Medical School in 1987 to where they are now.

The Power to Heal
Feb. 13, 5–7 p.m.
Larrick Student Center
Court End Ballroom
A poignant look at the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to health care for all Americans.

Stumped
March 19, 12:10–1 p.m.
Tompkins-McCaw Library
Lecture Room 2-010
A patient agrees to undergo an experimental double-arm transplant in the hope of reclaiming his independence despite grave risks. 

Merchants of Doubt
April 14, 12:10–1 p.m.
Tompkins-McCaw Library
Lecture Room 2-010
Look at the pundits-for-hire who present themselves as scientific authorities as they speak about topics like toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and climate change.