Dear John,
This week is a
big moment for raising awareness of ME in the UK with the premiere of
Unrest!
Part of the film's launch includes a
screening and discussion for MPs & members of the House of Lords in the Speaker’s State Rooms
tomorrow, 24th October, 12.30-2pm.
We need as many MPs in attendance as possible - and one of the best ways to get them there is if they get a
personal request from their constituency!
Please email and/or call your MP today, asking them to attend the
Unrest screening and conversation about ME. You can find a sample note below. Note, everyone has already been invited – this is just to give some extra encouragement and raise awareness of the film and the issue, even if your MP cannot attend.
You can find your member
here.
Thanks so much for your help to educate and motivate more MPs to take action on ME!
Onward,
The #MEAction Team
Sample letter:
Dear XXX,
I'm writing to remind you of a screening of the award-winning documentary,
Unrest and discussion for members of Parliament and the House of Lords tomorrow, 24th October, 12.30-2pm in the Speaker’s State Rooms. You can watch a short trailer here:
The film explores the hidden world of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), an issue very close to my heart. For decades, 250,000 ME patients in Britain – and their families and carers – have not had adequate access to diagnosis, treatment, care or medical research.
Unrest will bring you inside the hidden world of patients and families living with this ME. Critics are calling it "riveting...equal parts medical mystery, science lesson, political advocacy primer and even a love story." It opens this week in theaters across the UK. You can read more here:
ITV News:
The Times:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/our-lives-were-frozen-by-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-rdftnm75p
The Pool:
https://www.the-pool.com/health/hea...lks-to-jennifer-brea-about-unrest-documentary
Mark Kermode:
To RSVP, send an email to
lucy@shellafilms.com.
Thank you much for your commitment to this issue.
Sincerely,
About Unrest:
Twenty-eight year-old Jennifer Brea is working on her PhD at Harvard and months away from marrying the love of her life when she gets a mysterious fever that leaves her bedridden and looking for answers. Disbelieved by doctors yet determined to live, she turns her camera on herself and discovers a hidden world of millions confined to their homes and bedrooms by ME, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome.
At its core, Unrest is a love story. Together, Jen and her new husband, Omar, must find a way to build a life and fight for a cure. Their struggle to forge their relationship while dealing with her mysterious illness is at once heartbreaking, inspiring and funny.
Unrest world-premiered January in the documentary competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize for editing. It has since screened at SxSW, CPH
OX, HotDocs, River Run (Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature), the Nashville Film Festival (Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature), and the Sheffield Doc/Fest (Illuminate Award). It also has a companion VR piece which premiered at Tribeca and won the Jury Award for best VR at Sheffield/DocFest.
