Treatment
Lyme Films
Project Lyme believes that film is one of the most powerful ways to change the narrative around tick-borne diseases. Accordingly, we consistently support documentaries and other films with production grants, distribution, screenings, and events. Below, we have compiled a list of several of the most significant films and documentaries available now, many of which we have supported or worked with at Project Lyme.
So Sick
Release Date TBD
“So Sick,” a new documentary from the director of “The Punk Singer”, follows the lives of eleven feminist artists with late-stage Lyme disease. Told by the government and the medical establishment that their devastating disease does not exist, these women are fighting for their lives. As they tell their stories in intimate video diaries and interviews, the film asks crucial questions about the obstacles women face as they seek treatment. “So Sick” is a rallying cry from the front lines of an epidemic.
Project Lyme is the premier sponsor of this film, having underwritten $100,000 for production costs and unveiling a teaser for the film at the 2022 gala.
The Quiet Epidemic
Release Date TBD
After years of living with mysterious symptoms, a young girl from Brooklyn and a Duke University scientist are diagnosed with a disease said to not exist: Chronic Lyme disease. “The Quiet Epidemic” follows their search for answers, which lands them in the middle of a vicious medical debate. What begins as a patient story evolves into an investigation into the history of Lyme disease, dating back to its discovery in 1975. A paper trail of suppressed scientific research and buried documents reveal why ticks and the diseases they carry have been allowed to quietly spread around the globe.
The Monster Inside Me
Release Date April 23, 2022
Pointing the camera at themselves and showing the layers of this disease to the world, “The Monster Inside Me” team embarks on a journey throughout the United States speaking with patients, world-renowned doctors, and professionals to break down the details of this disease. As they peel back the layers, they find out that Lyme Disease has something quite distinct: victims who sought treatment and kept fighting for their lives, developing a warrior-like mentality. This movie is about their stories and pursues the truth, lies, darkness, healing, and the beauty of Lyme Disease (if any exists).
Project Lyme has hosted several virtual events with “The Monster Inside Me”, and most recently sponsored the in-person NYC premiere of the film at The SVA Theatre on May 9, 2022.
Your Labs Are Normal
Released November 21, 2021
“Your Labs Are Normal” is a powerful autobiographical short film highlighting one woman’s struggle with chronic Lyme disease, a widely misunderstood and politicized illness that affects thousands of people every year.
When Rhisa, an otherwise healthy woman in her 20s, falls ill with debilitating headaches, fatigue, and chronic pain, she and her loved ones search New York for a diagnosis. Even as Rhisa’s health deteriorates, doctors insist that her lab tests don’t indicate illness. Wracked with pain and dismissed by healthcare professionals, she falls into despair until a chance encounter with a nurse finally gives Rhisa her answer: for years, she’s been suffering from undiagnosed Lyme disease.
The story is only made more compelling by the fact that it’s completely rooted in personal experience— writer/director Rhisa Parera bares her soul as she recounts her own decades-long battle with chronic Lyme, and the result is a subtle, delicate, and moving story of chronic illness, endurance, and the complex failings of our healthcare system.
Rhisa is a Meet-Up host at Generation Lyme, an initiative of Project Lyme.
The Red Ring
Released April 23, 2021
The director, Joonas Berghäll, who suffers from chronic Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections, seeks a cure to his illness and answers why efforts aren’t made to stop the global Lyme disease epidemic. Joonas meets numerous patients, doctors, researchers, and experts around the world in search of an answer to the core question: The patients are real, the symptoms are real, and the illness and the bacterias that cause it are real. Why is the illness not taken seriously? Why are there hundreds of millions of people suffering?
Project Lyme hosted several virtual events with “The Red Ring”, and in May 2021 participated in the international release of the film by being the exclusive distributor of the film to US audiences.
Emergence
Released 2014
In this dramatic follow-up to the widely acclaimed “Under Our Skin”, “Emergence” takes the viewer on a journey from horror to hope. We witness the emerging epidemic of Lyme disease as infection and education spread globally. We watch as the truth emerges about the disease’s persistence and reach, about promising new research, and about medical collusion and conflicts of interest that continue to impede progress. We revisit the characters from “Under Our Skin” as they emerge into better health, reclaiming their lives and dignity, and offering hope to the legions now suffering. As Lyme disease surges, “Emergence” shines a probing light on the issue and becomes a beacon in the dark.
Under Our Skin
Released 2008
A gripping tale of microbes, medicine & money, “Under Our Skin” exposes the hidden story of Lyme disease, one of the most serious and controversial epidemics of our time. Each year, thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, often told that their symptoms are all in their head. Following the stories of patients and physicians fighting for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of the health care system and a medical establishment all too willing to put profits ahead of patients.
