Warriors: The Bernie Mac Disease
Bernie Mac's widow, Rhonda, takes us on a deeply personal journey through the life and legacy of the beloved comedian and the impact that sarcoidosis had on his rise to fame. Patients from the USA, Germany and Ghana describe their fight.
Interview with Producer Steve Hilfiker
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I am a cardiac sarcoidosis warrior who was told I would die if I did not receive an immediate heart transplant. The miraculous transplant empowered me to want to give back. Sarcoidosis is not as rare as the literature suggests. The film was made to raise awareness for sarcoidosis in an entertaining and informative manner.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The entertainment and educational value is worth watching, but the takeaway message is to choose life no matter what your particular sarcoidosis happens to be. Audiences should understand the symptoms and the necessity to be self-advocate regarding their health and their loved ones.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The personal stories demonstrate the willingness and power of the participants to confront their battles. They demonstrate what it takes to be a sarcoidosis warrior. Universal themes of resiliency, standing up in the face of adversity, and choosing to make the most of life circumstances speak volumes to the audience.
It's not what happens to you in life, it's how you respond to it…
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We have interviewed close to 50 participants on four continents. These include sarcoidosis warriors, organ donor families, heart transplant recipients, clinicians, caregivers, and transplant coordinators. This educational film is the first of many projects that may eventually land as an episodic documentary series.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film has won Best Short Documentary Director and Best Short Documentary at the 2023 Berlin Indie Film Festival. Standing ovation at the initial screening at the Bernie Mac Foundation's Purple Carpet Event in April. And we're just getting started!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has not been surprising. Director Nicholas Markart is extremely talented. The message is very powerful and meaningful, having a very positive and appropriate level of international impact. The challenge is to get this message into living rooms across the world so people understand and can respond appropriately when they or their loved ones may have sarcoidosis.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Our goal is to have everyone understand sarcoidosis, its symptoms, and the proper response to the symptoms. Promoting this educational film will help achieve this goal. After experiencing cardiac sarcoidosis, and researching the topic extensively, I do not believe the disease is as rare as the literature suggests. By raising awareness, we will influence doctors to look at this disease more often, so fewer people need to experience what I did.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Yes… 😊 all of the above. The film has been produced for educational awareness applications so far, but our long-term goal is to convert the inspirational international footage including celebrities and athletes to a streaming service application for organ donation and sarcoidosis awareness. So we are currently open to all team-building opportunities.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The film is already saving lives by increasing patient self-advocacy and physician awareness. Many people have never heard of the disease, yet people are dying from it, and some don't know they have it. The film will increase clinical trials and improve diagnostic and treatment methodologies.
We expect it will raise the medical standard of care. Most importantly, we hope it will support our research missions for the early detection of sarcoidosis and all forms of cardiomyopathy. By increasing the number of available organs and reducing sudden cardiac incidents, we hope to save more lives than were lost during COVID by putting this message into living rooms throughout the world.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you know what sarcoidosis is? Do you realize that you or someone you love may have it and not know it?
Have you known of anyone who died far too young of a sudden cardiac incident and who was otherwise healthy?
Would you like to add anything else?
We are researching advanced screening and imaging techniques for early detection of myocarditis and all forms of cardiomyopathy. Our educational and inspirational films are supporting our research projects and vice versa. We will be in Berlin May 26th through 29th after the Cannes Film Festival meeting with the inventors of emerging technology that could raise the cardiology standard of care.
“To a hammer, everything looks like a nail...” - many cardiologists are overlooking diseases of the heart muscle because they are over-focused on arteries and cholesterol. The same is true for sarcoidosis - it is being missed. It is diagnosed far too often as a process of exclusion - doctors need to consider it earlier in their assessments.
Diseases like sarcoidosis, amyloidosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and many others are underrepresented, and we are trying to change that through our film and research projects, and it's working!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We have an inspiring script outline for the strikingly original and heartfelt drama penned by Nicholas Markart, based on the life story of producer Steve Hilfiker.
Logline: “A single father of four navigates terminal illness, divorce, business conflict, and heart transplant during the financial uncertainty of the great recession. His intimate story is peppered with relatable family humor in a true-life survival story.”
This narrative drama, the episodic docu-series, and our research projects designed to raise the standard of care for both sarcoidosis and cardiomyopathy, support one another with the same mission in mind: to reduce the number of people dying while waiting for an organ and to increase detection and treatment programs for sarcoidosis and cardiomyopathy patients.
Interview: May 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Warriors: The Bernie Mac Disease
Bernie Mac's widow, Rhonda, takes us on a deeply personal journey through the life and legacy of the beloved comedian and the impact that sarcoidosis had on his rise to fame. Patients from the USA, Germany and Ghana describe their fight.
Length: 24:12
Director: Nicholas Markart
Producer: Steve Hilfiker
Writer: Nicholas Markart
About the writer, director and producer:
NICHOLAS MARKART is a writer/director and documentarian whose filmography is known for its emotional punch and witty humor. His published works have been recognized by esteemed organizations such as Cannes International Film Festival and the Student BAFTAs, and have accumulated 2 million + views across social media in the process.
STEVE HILFIKER is a producer and legislative advocate who was diagnosed with terminal heart failure in 2019. After surviving a miraculous heart transplant, Stephen has dedicated himself to changing lives through storytelling and political lobbying. He produced a short film about his battle with sarcoidosis, which screened at the American Pavilion at Cannes International Film Festival in 2022.
Key cast: Rhonda McCullough-Gilmore (herself), Dr Benjamin Mackie (himself), Dr. Ronald Schwartz (himself), Andrea Budde (herself), Stefan Brixner (himself), Dr Bettina Heidecker (herself), Chasta Posey (herself), Dr Nadera Sweiss (herself), PY Addo Boateng (himself), Marilyn Aponsah Annan (herself), Dr. Ulf Landmesser (himself)
Looking for: distributors, film festival directors, journalists, buyers, sales agents and producers
Facebook: Steve Hilfiker
Twitter: @SteveHilfiker
Instagram: @steve_hilfiker
Hashtags used: #sarcoidosisawareness #Stoneheartdocumentary #sarcoidosis #TheBernieMacDisease #OrganDonation
Website: www.hilfikerlifemissions.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: The Bernie Mac Foundation, The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
Funders: Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Fort Myers Film Festival - May 18, 2023; American Pavilion of Cannes International Film Festival - May 24, 2023; others TBA