documentary – USA – 201299 minutes
Festivals, Awards and Distinctions:
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program’s Candescent Films Award
Synopsis: ESCAPE FIRE: THE FIGHT TO RESCUE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? Directors/producers Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke interweave dramatic personal arcs of patients and physicians with the stories of leaders battling to transform healthcare at the highest levels. ESCAPE FIRE examines the powerful forces maintaining the status quo, a medical industry designed for quick fixes rather than prevention, for profit-driven care rather than patient-driven care. The film also presents attainable solutions. ESCAPE FIRE is about finding a way out of our current crisis. It’s a primer on how to save the health of a nation.
Matthew Heineman: Director/producer Matthew Heineman has made numerous films, including 2011’s Our Time, a feature documentary about what it’s like to be young in today’s America. He has directed a number of short films and commercials, and for two years he collaborated with Susan Froemke and a team at HBO, on the groundbreaking, Emmy-nominated series, The Alzheimer’s Project.
Susan Froemke: Director/Producer Susan Froemke is a four-time Emmy Award winner with more than 30 documentary films to her credit, including Grey Gardens (1976), Lalee’s Kin (2001) and last year’s CFF film, Miss Representation. Froemke was the principal filmmaker at the legendary Maysles Films in New York for over two decades. Well-known as a leader in documentary film, she has made 7 films for HBO and 13 films for PBS.