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10/1/04 In Hot Springs, MS means Movie Star! Dr. Richard G. Pellegrino has produced a documentary on Multiple Sclerosis to premiere at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival on Saturday, October 23rd at 2:45 pm. A second showing will be on October 26 at 1:15 PM. The documentary follows eight patients with the illness and features readings of letters from MS patients by the likes of Joe Pesci, Dennis Farina, Ed Marinaro, Tom Dreesen, Helen Gurley Brown, Frankie Avalon, Frankie Valli, Joe Mantegna, Jacklyn Zeman and others. "The purpose of the documentary is to provide a media voice for patients in order to promote better understanding of the human side of the disease", says Dr. Pellegrino. He continues, "If you take 100 patients with MS , 20 will be doing well and living full lives. Another 20 will never come out of their room. The rest are somewhere in the middle. We want to help the 20 that have figured out how to live full lives in spite of the disease to speak to those who never come out of their room." It promises to be an exciting event. See you there! Following the October 23rd show, Dr. Pellegrino will be signing first edition copies of his new book, Point Source, at the Blue Moon Gallery, 718 Central Avenue (across the street from the HSDFF). Everyone is invited. Following the October 26th show, Dr. Pellegrino will have a reception to honor all those with MS and who participated in the documentary. This event will be held next door to the HSDFI at Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827A Central Avenue. Mr. Nathan Hood and his band will perform.
YourMovieProject.com Live Indie Film Company holds auditions for MS documentary written by Arkansas MD YourMovieProject.com will hold live auditions for a documentary at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, 819 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, Ark., on Saturday, February 28, 2004. Participants will be able to tell their story live in front of camera for possible use in the documentary or DVD. Dr. Richard G. Pellegrino, a Hot Springs neurologist, is using a film media source to give those with a chronic disease a greater voice. Dr. Pellegrino has been working for the past year and a half on a project that would provide his patients and others who suffer from chronic disease a true voice in the media. He decided that the most effective way to do this was to put together an entertaining media outlet that educates. On Friday, February 27 at 7 p.m., Dr. Pellegrino will simultaneously hold a book signing for his medical thriller novel, Point Source, and a reception to honor MS patients and their families who have given so freely of their time to this project. Then on Saturday, he will hold auditions for the documentary. The documentary will tell the story of how this project began and the service it will provide to those who suffer from chronic disease, their families, and media outlets. Richard Pellegrino, M.D., Ph.D., a former National Multiple Sclerosis Society fellow, Trustee of the American Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians, and winner of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans award for 1995, is a practicing neurologist and researcher in Hot Springs with a special interest in multiple sclerosis. 9/8/03 Announcement from Dr. Pellegrino Hello everyone, Funding: Another question that has been lingering in all
of our minds. We hope to have an answer from a perspective
sponsor by mid September. This is a big hurdle, and one I hope
we are overcoming soon. Thank you for your continued support and loyalty.
1/29/03 Announcement from Dr. Pellegrino
10/3/02 People with multiple sclerosis will have roles in movie project By Sue Scheible BRAINTREE - Anita Anderson of Brockton was ready to sign up for a starring role. ‘‘I love to sing, and I'm just a gutsy broad,'' she said. Anderson was one of 10 people who showed up yesterday at a promotion for a feature-film project billed as ‘‘a medical thriller.'' The creator, a neurologist from Arkansas, is touring the country to stir up interest and began in the Boston area with a meeting at Thayer Library in Braintree. The script hasn't been written yet, casting and production are months off, but Dr. Richard Pellegrino is scouting for a select group of advisers and talent: people with multiple sclerosis. Anderson, in her late 50s, has had the illness for 26 years. In the full-length film, the chronic disease of the central nervous system will be a secondary theme, affecting one or more characters. But Pellegrino promised this won't be your usual disease-of-the-week movie. ‘‘First and foremost, it has to be an entertainment piece, a good film even if you aren't interested in multiple sclerosis,'' he said. ‘‘There also will be a back story that educates you a bit about MS, but you don't really know it.'' Pellegrino has been treating MS patients for 20 years and is a former National Multiple Sclerosis Society Fellow. Doctors consider MS a frustrating disease because the cause is unknown and treatment uneven. Pellegrino said there are only a few hundred doctors across the country ‘‘who really like to see MS patients.'' Even those who think they understand the illness may have something to learn. Pellegrino decided a movie would offer an unusual way to advocate for patients. ‘‘I became convinced I needed to go to my constituency, ask them who they are, take their solutions, put them in a movie,'' he said. ‘‘People learn best when information is presented with an emotional punch.'' While there have been many movies with medical subplots, Pellegrino said, ‘‘the unique angle about this is that the patients are being asked to help develop the script.'' He will hold other meetings in coming months in Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles and New York. At yesterday's gathering, patients from Weymouth, Braintree and Quincy, as well as the North Shore and Cape Cod, offered their views. Several said they live with a fatigue that can be overwhelming; even family members don't always realize what it is like. Maryrose Fougere of Quincy hoped the film would help others understand that. Patient Tom Bayuk of Dennis, his wife, Joyce, and their daughter, Jennifer, 25, described how chronic illness challenges a family. ‘‘This is a great example, '' Pellegrino said as he asked for more feedback through his web site or E-mail. ‘‘There are some issues I would really like answers to,'' he said. ‘‘Who are your greatest teachers? Where do you draw on in handling the emotions? Do you feel your doctor cares about you? What can a doctor do to convey that?'' He also invited ‘‘funny stories'' about what is it like to live with a baffling illness that affects 400,000 people in North America, nearly three-quarters of them women. Pellegrino is financing his own national tour and looking for backers. In May, he launched a web site for people to send in their stories; they also can register as actors or musicians/composers. He is working with Scout Productions in Boston. The youngest person at yesterday's meeting was Rebecca Moulton, 15, who came from Newbury and had already written to Pellegrino. Her mother, Robin Moulton, 45, has had the illness for 20 years. Pellegrino called the teenager's letter extraordinary. In it, she says her mother's struggles, although difficult to watch, made them closer. Rebecca, an aspiring actress in musical theater, is hoping for a role in the film, and she is developing a character idea for the script. Pellegrino hopes to have the script finished by early next year and to start filming soon afterward. The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is not affiliated with the film project, but it reported on it and the web site in its magazine, MS Motivator. The web site is www.yourmovieproject.com. E-mail can be sent to Carla@yourmovieproject.com. The mail address is Dr. Richard Pellegrino, P.O. Box 20230, Hot Springs, Ark. 71903. The phone number is 501-624-6636. Copyright 2002 The Patriot Ledger Spreading the word has never been easier. You can now go to the Press Release site and download the Press Release and Flyer for distribution. 8/9/02 - This Article appeared in the upcoming issue of The Motivator, official publication of the MSAA MS COMES TO THE BIG SCREEN Dr. Richard Pellegrino, a neurologist who takes a special interest in MS, is about to put a whole new light on the MS experience. His plans are to bring the challenges and victories to those with MS directly to the public in a full-length, feature film. This production is not a documentary or a story about MS. Instead, it will be a movie meant for entertainment, like any other film showing at the local theatre – complete with a dramatic story line and talented actors. While the plot will be unrelated to MS, a main character will be dealing with and overcoming the daily challenges of MS. Dr. Pellegrino has been treating MS patients for 20 years, in addition to conducting clinical research and authoring numerous scientific and layperson articles both from Yale University and from his office in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He sees this movie as the ideal vehicle to raise awareness of MS in an entertaining format. “By doing so,” explains Dr. Pellegrino, “The movie serves a few purposes. Not only will people unfamiliar with the disease gain an understanding of the symptoms and challenges of MS, but it may also give family members and friends new insights into the common problems people with MS face, along with the sometimes inventive ways they overcome these obstacles. Additionally, individuals with MS may enjoy identifying with the character, and possibly even discover a new solution to a common problem.” Dr. Pellegrino has formed a production company and is combining his own writing skills with those of a team of writers he has brought together for this movie. While they work to develop the main plot, Dr. Pellegrino is looking to those with MS to assist with the story. Specifically, he wants to hear about common problems experienced by those with MS, along with effective solutions they may employ. If you would like to find out more or even be a part of the movie’s creation, please visit the movie’s website at www.yourmovieproject.com. Anyone interested may email his or her own stories of large or small triumphs. These will be reviewed for possible use in the script and, with permission, will be posted on the website to be shared with others. In addition to contributing stories, volunteers from the MS community may suggest plot lines, register as an artist or composer, or get involved in other ways. If you do not have access to email, you may write to Dr. Pellegrino at P.O. Box 20230 Hot Springs, AR 71903 . Please note that Dr. Pellegrino is also looking for corporate and individual sponsors to help fund this exciting project. Please note: The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is not affiliated with this movie. This article is copyrighted by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America and may not be reproduced, stored, or transmitted without prior written permission from MSAA. 8/6/02 - THANK YOU! Yourmovieproject.com is off to a great start. We have received over 500 stories, hundreds of plot ideas, and more comments than we can count. The information that you have so generously shared with us will help make an exciting and entertaining movie about MS. In addition, we have a large group of actors who have registered. Dr. Pellegrino, M.D.,Ph.D. and staff.
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