Sugar Babies
The Reality of Diabetes in America’s Youth
A documentary by Jenny Mackenzie
jenny@jennymackenziefilms.com 801.554.6489
Overview:
SUGAR BABIES is a compelling and critical documentary that examines the current public heath epidemic of diabetic children in America. Through archival footage and intimate interviews with diabetic children and their families we learn what the reality of living with childhood diabetes is today.
SUGAR BABIES narrative weaves together 4 children’s stories: two with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes and two with Type 2 Diabetes. Director, Jenny Mackenzie, allows the camera to empathically bring the uniqueness of both types of diabetes to the forefront of the debate. We see Type 1 and Type 2 children and their families struggling with very different challenges, while also facing the shared pain of having a child with a life threatening medical condition. Since the development of insulin in 1922, the treatment of diabetes has become a 17 billion dollar industry, yet we still have no cure in sight. Physicians, researchers, and public health experts share riveting statistics, discuss the current treatment, and talk about why we still don’t have a cure for a disease that is ravaging America’s youth.
Family Outings
An in-depth look at Gay teen’s “coming out” experiences
A documentary by Jenny Mackenzie
jenny@jennymackenziefilms.com 801.554.6489
Overview:
FAMILY OUTINGS is a persuasive and much needed NIH (National Institute of Health) funded intervention documentary that explores the ways in which family reactions profoundly impact gay teenagers’ emotional and physical well-being. With authenticity, warmth, and humor, FAMILY OUTINGS narrative weaves together two stories from very different families and shares the pain and anxiety that comes from experiencing parental rejection, as well as the joy and relief that come from feeling accepted. Intimate interviews, and persuasive footage from their home lives and social settings share the reality of being a gay teenager today. Clergy, researchers, and therapists share the research, data, and current thinking to explore ways to help parents understand their own process and minimize negative reactions with their children. This entertaining, educational, and informative intervention film gives families with gay teens real life stories, clinical information, and concrete tools to make transformative changes.
