Bionic Buzz® got to cover South by Southwest® in Austin, TX. SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW® is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music and comedy showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.

There we got to cover the cover the award-winning documentary, “No Ordinary Campaign” screening at 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film and TV Festival as part of the Festival Favorites track. Directed and produced by Christopher Burke, executive produced by Katie Couric and Phil Rosenthal, featuring former President Barack Obama, former NFL player Steve Gleason, several members of Congress, and many other notable figures, details the journey of former DC-power couple Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya following Brian’s devastating ALS diagnosis at age 37 and his fight to get the ACT for ALS bill passed (which he historically did).

About No Ordinary Campaign:

At 37, Brian Wallach was diagnosed with ALS—on the same day he and his wife Sandra brought their second daughter home from the hospital. In an instant, everything changed. They went from being a couple only a few years removed from both working at the White House to not knowing if Brian would live to see his 40th birthday.

An otherwise healthy former college athlete, Brian expected to find a system built to help him and Sandra deal with this new reality. Instead, they found a broken and failed system in which doctors told patients to “get their affairs in order and get ready to die,” nonprofits stoked fear among patients in an effort to raise funds for research, and “hope” was a four letter word

This is the story about what happened next. A story about patients taking control of the fight for their lives, breaking down walls and breaking through to new solutions. Brian and Sandra have moved with astonishing speed to build a patient-led revolution reminiscent of the HIV fight. In doing so, they are not only showing us how to create from scratch a movement that makes impossible dreams possible, but also how to really live—even in the face of incredible odds.

Here is the Q&A moderated by PBS News Hour co-anchor Geoff Bennett along with our interview with Christopher Burke “No Ordinary Campaign” director and Tim Rummel “No Ordinary Campaign” producer.

Connect:
https://iamals.org/
https://noordinarycampaign.com/
https://twitter.com/noc_film
https://www.instagram.com/NoOrdinaryCampaign/