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www.blackfriarsmedia.org NaPro A Quiet Revolution Press Kit

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Page 1: NaPro - WordPress.com€¦ · 04/04/2014  · NaPro Technology – but first, they need to know it exists and is a legitimate (and healthier) alternative to today’s popular and

www.blackfriarsmedia.org

NaProA Quiet Revolution

Press Kit

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SHORT SYNOPSIS#NaPro: A Quiet Revolution

This groundbreaking documentary seeks to inform women of new technology that is an effective alternative to mainstream women’s healthcare. The film takes a look at this new science while contrasting it with the more widely used medical practices, and the highly problematic practice of prescribing hormonal contraceptives as a treatment for a wide array of women’s health issues.

SYNOPSISNaPro Technology is a systematic approach to women’s health that examines the various signs of a woman’s fertility throughout her cycle. With this new science, doctors are able to diagnose the underlying problems to many women’s health issues such as PMS, Endometriosis, PCOS as well as Infertility.

Today in women’s health most problems are treated with the birth control pill or in the case of infertility, IVF. Both these treatments act as a bandaid to the problem and do not treat the underlying issues.

Problems such as infertility are often treated as “bad luck” and patients are told artificial means such as IVF are necessary. In reality, there is usually an underlying disease that can be diagnosed and treated. The goal of NaPro technology is to restore a woman’s cycle to good health and fertility. By restoring a woman’s cycle to its proper function, NaPro technology is fixing the problem, and not bypassing it.

In medicine a doctor would never shut down a normally functioning system. In women’s health a woman’s cycle is shut down with the birth control pill in order to “regulate” her cycle. This film looks at the science behind NaPro technology through three Napro-certified doctors and their effort to give women better natural healthcare in a culture that only promotes the use of artificial treatments such as the birth control pill and IVF.

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THE DOCTORS

Dr. Christine Hemphill, MD, CFCMC Certified FertilityCare Medical Consultant

Dr. Jill Zackrisson, MD, NFPMC Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant

Dr. Anne Nolte, MD, CFCMC Certified FertilityCare Medical Consultant

Dr. Karen Poehalios, MD, CFCMC Certified FertilityCare Medical Consultant

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CURRENT NAPRO PATIENT BELIEVES IN BLACKFRIARS MEDIAI recently heard about Blackfriars Media, and the latest endeavor to create a documentary about NaPro Technology. When I saw the trailer, it brought tears to my eyes. This is the first thing that I’ve seen related to NaPro that looks not only informative, but also modern and professionally done.

My husband and I have suffered with infertility for a couple of years now and I will never forget the moment when my regular (non NaPro) OBGYN called to tell me that I would likely never conceive and our only possible chance was through the use of IVF and donor eggs. The news was devastating and absolutely shocking – especially considering I had only one blood test done. How could this be? Surely there was more that could be looked into? She referred us to a local fertility specialist who basically confirmed it without conducting any other in-depth testing. We felt completely blind-sided and horrified.

AND THEN I DISCOVERED NAPRO TECHNOLOGY.I was so incredibly grateful to find that there were, in fact, other options out there and I began charting immediately. At first, for me specifically, I decided to go down this path because NaPro treatments were in line with the church’s teachings. For my husband, it was because the medical testing and treatments were more thorough and made more sense – and I agreed. We quickly learned that there was a lot more about a woman’s fertility that we needed to understand and over the last 15 months, we have discovered and began treating several underlying health issues that may be hindering our chances to conceive naturally. It has been a challenging, heartbreaking and enlightening experience but I truly believe that following this path will lead my husband and I toward our ultimate dream of growing our family.

One thing that is very important for others to know is how this type of treatment for infertility and other women’s issues can help all women, not just Catholic women who follow the church’s teachings. It is sound, research- and evidence-based healthcare that has success rates that exceed that of other treatment methods. So many women could benefit from NaPro Technology – but first, they need to know it exists and is a legitimate (and healthier) alternative to today’s popular and “go-to” fertility treatments.

While I am certain that the amazing NaPro practitioners and medical professionals are doing their best to spread the good news, I assume that their main focus is of course the actual health care and teaching programs. For the most part, everything I’ve seen related to the marketing and communications of NaPro Technology (websites, videos, brochures, social media outlets, etc.) has been pretty outdated and not up to par with the cutting edge medical technology that is taking place in this field.

For many women, especially in today’s day and age where we are inundated with so many things, I fear that NaPro is either 1) nowhere to be found (unless you are fortunate enough to live in an area where there may be a NaPro doctor, and/or you are deeply connected to your church community) or 2) if a woman does see something about NaPro, she may not give it a fair chance because it doesn’t look very up-to-date or professional and just subconsciously assumes that it’s not a valid medical option and move on.

Fortunately, now there is your movie – NaPro: A Quiet Revolution – another bright light in the dark world of infertility that could really help spread the good news about NaPro Technology in a compelling, intelligent and professional way. Thank you to everyone at Blackfriars Media, especially Fr. Gabriel, for taking this on. The impact it could have may be just the tool the NaPro community needs to help get this information into the hands of more couples in search of answers and in turn, more children into the arms of parents who want to love them.

Thanks so much and God bless you for your work!Jennifer

#NaPro: A Quiet Revolution

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John FisherDirector | Editor

John started working with the Province’s media division in August of 2012. He has a B.F.A in film & television film from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has worked on various feature length documentary and narrative films including Martin Scorsese’s “New York Review of Books”. At Blackfriars Media, John works as both director and editor on many projects including directing “Napro: A Quiet Revolution.”

Joshua VargasCreative Director | Editor | Colorist | Design Artist

Joshua began working for the media division of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph in April of 2012. “Icon of the New Evangelization: The Catholic Center at NYU”, “Five Paths to the Priesthood,” and “Empire of the Cross” are projects that he’s edited & directed. He is a catechist through Narnia teaches and an altar server at the Church of Saint Agnes. He is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a B.F.A. in Film & Television.

Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P.Executive Producer

Father Gabriel was ordained to the priesthood in 2000 in Italy after earning degrees from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, commonly known as the Angelicum, in Rome. In 2008, while serving as a chaplain at the Catholic Center at NYU he got to know several of the Catholic film students. He co-founded Blackfriars Media after being Inspired by their dedication to pursuing their craft as filmmakers and remaining faithful to the Catholic Church.

Michael CrommettVideographer

Michael began shooting for Blackfriars Media in April of 2013. He has worked as a Director of Photography on projects both big and small, with large crews or as the only crew. He is comfortable with a wide range of productions including commercials, documentaries, fiction films, corporate, music videos, or anything else that requires compelling visual storytelling. Michael has a passion for the art and the science of cinematography and can deliver quality images within whatever constraints exist. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he holds a BFA in Film and Television Production with a minor in Documentary. He can be found online at www.michaelcrommett.com or via email by sending a message to [email protected].

George GossProducer | Media Assistant

George began working with Blackfriars Media in September of 2012. He helps with the production end of the projects and is also the editor of the Provincial newsletter, The Trumpet. He is a graduate of Thomas More College with a B.A. in Political Science & the School of Visual Arts with a degree in Digital Photography. He’s also performed on stage in two Blackfriars Theatre productions: Antigone and Our God’s Brother. He can be reached at [email protected].

THE TEAM

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PRODUCTION STILLS

“ It’s something that we don’t do in any other area of medicine—simply use a medicine to shut down a normally functioning system; only women’s health.”

—Dr. Anne L. Nolte

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SELLING THE FANTASY OF FERTILITYBy Miriam Zoll and Pamela Tsigdinos (Published: September 11, 2013, New York Times)

Medical science has achieved great feats, improved and saved the lives of many. But when it comes to assisted reproductive technologies, science fails far more often than is generally believed.

The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology reports that, on average, of the 1.5 million assisted reproductive cycles performed worldwide, only 350,000 resulted in the birth of a child. That is a 77 percent global failure rate. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the overall failure rate at almost 70 percent.

Behind those failed cycles are millions of women and men who have engaged in a debilitating, Sisyphus-like battle with themselves and their infertility, involving daily injections, drugs, hormones, countless blood tests and other procedures.

Thirty-five years after British scientists brought the world’s first “test-tube baby” to life, assisted reproduction is a $4 billion-a-year industry. It’s hard to miss the marketing and advertisements associated with fertility clinics and service providers that are understandably eager to do what any business does best: sell to prospective customers.

But what they’re selling is packaged in hope and sold to customers who are at their wits’ end, desperate and vulnerable. Once inside the surreal world of reproductive medicine, there is no obvious off-ramp; you keep at it as long as your bank account, health insurance or sanity holds out. It’s no wonder that, fueled by magical thinking, the glorification of parenthood and a cultural narrative that relentlessly endorses assisted reproductive technology, those of us going through treatments often turn into “fertility junkies.” Even among the patient-led infertility community, the prevailing belief is that those who walk away from treatments without a baby are simply not strong enough to run

the gantlet of artificial conception. Those who quit are, in a word, weak.

As a result, both of us pursued increasingly invasive and often experimental interventions, many of whose long-term health risks are still largely unknown.

Now we know better. Ending our treatments was one of the bravest decisions we ever made, and we did it to preserve what little remained of our shattered selves, our strained relationships and our depleted bank accounts. No longer under the spell of the industry’s seductive powers, we study its marketing tactics with eagle eyes, and understand how, like McDonald’s, the fertility industry works to keep people coming back for more.

Some people do, of course, become parents through this technology. But we rarely hear from the other side, former patients who, in refusing to give up, endured addictive, debilitating and traumatizing cycles. Those contemplating treatments have a right to know about the health risks, ethical concerns, broken marriages and, for many, deep depression often associated with failed treatments. They need objective, independent advice from health care and mental health professionals focused on the person’s well-being instead of the profit.

Being unable to bear children is a painful enough burden to carry, without society’s shaming and condemning those who recognize that their fertility fantasy is over. It is time to rein in the hype and take a more realistic look at the taboos and myths surrounding infertility and science’s ability to “cure” it.

Miriam Zoll is the author of the memoir “Cracked Open: Liberty, Fertility and the Pursuit of High-Tech Babies.” Pamela Tsigdinos is the author of the memoir “Silent Sorority: A Barren Woman Gets Busy, Angry, Lost and Found.”

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#NaPro: A Quiet Revolution

GENERAL INFORMATION

TRAILER: http://youtu.be/G6Stxc5WdjU

TITLE: NAPRO: A QUIET REVOLUTION

DURATION: 24 MINUTES 40 SECONDS

ASPECT RATIO: 1920 x 1080 FULL HD 16:9

FORMAT: HD

YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 2013 - 2014

GENRE: DOCUMENTARY

AUDIENCE RATING: CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

CAMERA: SONY FS-100

PROGRAMS: AVID, FINAL CUT PRO, DAVINCI

CONTACT INFORMATION

FATHER GABRIEL GILLEN, O.P. (PRODUCER)

PHONE: (212) 535-3665

E-MAIL: [email protected]

ADDRESS: BLACKFRIARS MEDIA141 EAST 65TH STREETNEW YORK, NY 10065

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www.blackfriarsmedia.org