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began when Brea picked up the camera to film her symptoms because she was being dismissed by doctors in the spring of 2012. Initially, she had wanted to possibly write a book using her videos as a source, but when she noticed doctors started believing her after seeing her recordings, she decided that
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to conduct interviews, and eventually found a way to stream an on-set camera to her computer. Gradually, she built a global team. She was bedridden throughout much of the production of the film, conducting interviews on Skype and directing remotely with producers and crews around the world. The film
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The film is interspersed with interviews with scientists and immunologists, who talk about the limited research funding available for the disease. They attribute this to the difficult-to-understand nature of symptoms and to the fact that most people with ME are women. The documentary finally depicts
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called the film "an existential exploration of the meaning of life while battling a crippling chronic illness." The film was described as an engaging watch, despite being filmed mostly in the bedrooms of the featured ME patients. The home footage highlighted the authenticity of the strain ME put on
31:
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search for answers and she connects with others with the illness. A woman in the US is left by her husband, who believed the illness is psychological. They reconcile only after their daughter develops ME, convincing him of the illness's reality. In
Denmark, a girl is taken by police into a
244:. The film tells the story of how Jennifer and her new husband faced an illness that struck Jennifer just before they married. Initially dismissed by doctors, she starts filming herself to document her illness and connects with others who are home- or bedbound with
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The documentary was accompanied by a large awareness campaign and reached a wide audience. It may have contributed to boosts in research funding in Canada, the UK, the US and in particular
Australia. It gave a boost to the growth of the #MEAction network, and the
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invested in the documentary during post-production. The overall production budget reached high six-figures over four years and was financed by a mix of crowdfunding and grants (70%), equity (20%), with 10% unaccounted for when the documentary was released.
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before she fell ill at age 28. Brea gets progressively more ill and is initially disbelieved by doctors, who attribute her symptoms to stress. She starts a video diary to demonstrate the severity of her illness to her doctors, which later grew into the
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The whole production process took four years. Brea spent the first year working out "how to make a film from bed" and raising money, then 1.5 years filming, and spent the remaining time editing. Brea used a Skype
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The documentary was produced over a four-year period, in which Brea was mostly bedbound. The documentary shows Brea's route to diagnosis and the world of other people homebound with the illness.
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on
January 20. To enable people homebound with ME/CFS to participate, the premiere included 25 virtual seats. It was screened during the 2017 SXSW Film Festival in March; The
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1069:"Unrest is now available for free, on YouTube. Watch now and share with your friends and family! https://youtube.com/watch?v=XOpyLTyVxco #timeforunrest"
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in August 2017; Sheffield Doc Fest; CPH:Dox; and
Hotdocs. In fall of 2017, the film opened theatrically in the United States and United Kingdom.
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361:. This allowed Brea more freedom around marketing and the distribution of the documentary, rather than having to sell the rights away.
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is shown, who at that point had been unable to speak for a year due to the illness. Elsewhere, a young woman in the UK has developed
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psychiatric hospital against her will, as authorities believed her parents were nurturing her illness. The son of geneticist
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1184:"Sundance 2017 Award Winners: 'I Don't Feel At Home in This World Anymore,' 'Dina' and More Pick Up Grand Jury Prizes"
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documentary. The initial shot shows Brea crawling on the floor, unable to walk. She finally receives a diagnosis of
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825:"Jennifer Brea documented her chronic fatigue syndrome on an iPhone so doctors would believe other women"
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738:"'Unrest' Review: A Personal Look at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, With Powerful Results — Sundance 2017"
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Brae and her husband's marriage, as well as the resilience they showed in overcoming these strains.
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for best documentary feature, but was not one of the final five nominations. It was nominated for
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558:"Unrest | Filmmaker Documents Struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Independent Lens | PBS"
856:"A Women's History Month trio led by 'Unrest,' with more Mészáros, Poitier, Cage and Travolta"
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Hi5 Impact Case Study: Unrest - Building a global movement to fight for people living with ME
408:. It asked participants to lie down on a bed and explore life with a chronic illness using a
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794:"Jennifer Brea Filmed Her Sundance Premiere Without Leaving Bed — And it Saved Her Life"
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does not propose a direct solution for people with ME/CFS, it does showcase hope in the
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protests, which advocated for increased awareness and support for ME patients globally.
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Illuminate Award. It furthermore won an award for the best documentary feature at the
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The film received one of the two inaugural
Creative Distribution Fellowships of the
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770:"Interview: Jennifer Brea Talks About Obstacles, Adjustments, and Inspiration"
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1320:"Unrest: Gender, Chronic Illness, and the Limits of Documentary Visibility"
1153:"Oscar cheat sheet: The 5 nominees for Best Documentary Feature, explained"
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for
Outstanding Editing, won the Special Jury Award for Editing at the
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Vincent, Tom Meek and
Allyson Johnson and Sarah G. (March 13, 2022).
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Critics in particular praised the intimacy of the documentary. The
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1265:"Sundance 2017: 'Unrest' Is An Emotional Look At Human Strength"
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The documentary follows
Jennifer Brea, who was a PhD student at
1008:"PBS' Independent Lens Announces Season 16 Slate (EXCLUSIVE)"
915:"Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Brea - Unrest"
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protests, which sought greater recognition for the illness.
344:. Further funding came from various grants and fellowships.
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1211:""City of Ghosts," "Unrest" take Sheffield Doc/Fest Awards"
1039:"The time is here! Unrest is now available on @Netflix!..."
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The advocacy in the documentary was considered effective.
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1122:"Oscars: Documentary Feature Shortlist Cuts Field To 15"
521:"Jennifer Brea: 'ME is not about fatigue or tiredness'"
300:, as she has been unable to leave her bed for years.
481:called the film "a stirring call to action". While
404:, inspired by the documentary, was released at the
1435:Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
282:myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
246:myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
1420:Documentary films about people with disabilities
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497:protests. The documentary became accredited for
1238:"RiverRun International Film Festival - AWARDS"
1200:U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award For Editing
1101:. University of Gloucestershire. April 21, 2017
594:"Unrest movie review & film summary (2017)"
396:on January 15, 2018, and available for free on
257:Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film
16:2017 American documentary film by Jennifer Brea
1182:Kohn, Eric; Erbland, Kate (January 29, 2017).
340:, got its first round of funding from a 2013
452:award in the category "The Unforgettables".
1330:(4). University of California Press: 9–15.
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392:in January 2018. It became available on
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823:Tiffany, Kaitlyn (September 21, 2017).
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656:"'Unrest': Film Review - Sundance 2017"
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374:New Zealand International Film Festival
330:also contains self-filmed home videos.
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1151:Wilkinson, Alissa (February 7, 2018).
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1284:Means, Sean P. (January 26, 2017).
1263:Booth, Kaitlyn (January 23, 2017).
1244:from the original on August 9, 2023
1120:Pedersen, Erik (December 8, 2017).
1037:Brea, Jennifer (January 15, 2018).
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957:from the original on March 16, 2024
866:from the original on March 16, 2024
692:Walsh, Katie (September 28, 2017).
626:Harvey, Dennis (January 24, 2017).
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592:Kenny, Glenn (September 22, 2017).
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1465:English-language documentary films
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890:"Distribution Case Study: Unrest"
792:Buder, Emily (January 23, 2017).
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628:"Sundance Film Review: 'Unrest'"
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1236:Loftin, Nate (May 23, 2022).
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430:a News & Documentary Emmy
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1455:2010s English-language films
1445:2017 directorial debut films
1067:@unrestfilm (May 16, 2023).
499:Continuing Medical Education
420:The film was well-received.
287:Online, she and her husband
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1318:Moodie, Megan (June 2018).
1286:"Sundance review: 'Unrest'"
434:2017 Sundance Film Festival
390:Public Broadcasting Service
366:2017 Sundance Film Festival
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364:The film premiered at the
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1099:"Unrest Virtual Reality"
950:(Report). DocImpactHi5.
424:was shortlisted for the
255:was shortlisted for the
446:Nashville Film Festival
1405:2017 documentary films
1336:10.1525/fq.2018.71.4.9
981:The Hollywood Reporter
943:Driver, Sahar (2019).
661:The Hollywood Reporter
261:Sundance Film Festival
153:Little By Little Films
1290:The Salt Lake Tribune
919:womenandhollywood.com
406:Tribeca Film Festival
338:Canary in a Coal Mine
84:Patricia E. Gillespie
1460:2010s American films
983:. January 31, 2017.
664:. January 23, 2017.
416:Reception and impact
342:Kickstarter campaign
527:. August 12, 2017.
894:Sundance Institute
438:Sheffield Doc/Fest
359:Sundance Institute
336:, initially named
316:The production of
698:Los Angeles Times
501:(CME) in the US.
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213:Running time
189:Release date
174:Shella Films
150:Shella Films
18:
1300:January 27,
1052:January 18,
637:January 25,
467:Glenn Kenny
122:Kim Roberts
70:Produced by
61:Kim Roberts
41:Directed by
1395:2017 films
1389:Categories
1221:August 15,
1022:August 15,
505:References
410:VR headset
312:Production
289:Omar Wasow
236:is a 2017
217:97 minutes
200:2017-01-20
140:Production
108:Sam Heesen
51:Written by
1248:March 16,
1194:April 17,
1079:March 16,
991:April 17,
961:March 16,
899:March 11,
870:March 16,
829:The Verge
754:April 17,
743:IndieWire
706:0458-3035
672:April 17,
608:March 16,
572:March 17,
535:March 16,
402:Unrest VR
304:the 2016
294:Ron Davis
142:companies
119:Edited by
1294:Archived
1242:Archived
1215:Archived
1188:Archived
1161:Archived
1130:Archived
1126:Deadline
1105:July 30,
1046:Archived
1016:Archived
985:Archived
952:Archived
864:Archived
839:July 15,
833:Archived
748:Archived
710:Archived
666:Archived
602:Archived
566:Archived
529:Archived
444:and the
372:and the
267:Synopsis
129:Music by
1085:Twitter
1042:Twitter
1012:Variety
632:Variety
398:YouTube
394:Netflix
353:Release
273:Harvard
222:Country
198: (
177:Netflix
1375:Unrest
1360:Unrest
704:
483:Unrest
422:Unrest
380:Unrest
334:Unrest
318:Unrest
284:(ME).
278:Unrest
253:Unrest
248:(ME).
233:Unrest
24:Unrest
1073:Tweet
955:(PDF)
948:(PDF)
1380:IMDb
1302:2017
1250:2024
1223:2017
1196:2020
1169:2018
1138:2017
1107:2024
1081:2024
1054:2018
1024:2017
993:2020
963:2024
901:2024
872:2024
841:2024
805:2017
756:2020
718:2017
702:ISSN
674:2020
639:2017
610:2024
574:2024
537:2024
1378:at
1369:PBS
1367:on
1363:at
1332:doi
1157:Vox
525:RNZ
225:USA
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