Diabetes Documentary Shines Light Around the World

April 13, 2006

Los Angeles Calif. (ContentDesk) -- Soleil Films is preparing for the final stages of “Diabetes and Me – Alone In The Crowd”, a documentary about living with diabetes and the effect it has on the people with the disease and the people who love them. Richard Ellman of the International Producers Group, who was recently signed to represent the project, has just returned from Cannes with much enthusiasm after having had several very positive meetings with programmers about the documentary.

Florence Regina, the movie’s producer, director and main subject says, “When I first found out I had Diabetes, I thought I was the only one in the world.” Florence is an actor and filmmaker who is best known as the woman who dances with Ellen Degeneres in an American Express commercial. She has had Type 1 diabetes for almost 40 years. Celebrities such as B.B. King and Halle Berry are only 2 examples of the more than 20 million people domestically and 170 million worldwide who have diabetes. It is hard to believe anyone would feel alone in this crowd, but as Florence interviewed dozens of people of all colors, backgrounds and economic levels with diabetes, she found that she was not alone in feeling alone.

Diabetes is a hot topic and has been covered in the news, in health documentaries and even on The Oprah Winfrey Show, but even with all that coverage Florence felt that none of these reports expressed what it is really like to live and cope with the disease on a day-to-day basis. She says, “I focus on diabetes because it’s what I have lived with most of my life, but this documentary relates to everybody who has ever felt they are on the outside because of their lifestyle, the way they look, or an illness they might have.”

“Diabetes and Me” focuses on Florence’s life with the disease, but we also hear from a myriad of other who relate their experiences from failed relationships, to lost jobs, to lost lives. Florence’s husband, David Lipson, who is the film’s co-producer says, “When you see stories about diseases, it’s always the big drama moments. There are a lot more moments in a person’s life than just diagnosis, cure, and death, and chronic diseases require real moment to moment living.

That’s what Florence is sharing. And we also give voice to the families and loved ones who are affected just as much, if not sometimes more, than the one with the disease.”“Diabetes and Me” has the endorsement of the American Diabetes Association and Children with Diabetes and is currently seeking finishing funds for post-production.

For more information and to see the trailer go to: http://www.SoleilFilms.com.