Tales from the Organ Trade
82 and 56 minutes • Documentary • Produced in association with: HBO Documentary Films, Shaw Media and Canal D • Production year: 2013
TALES FROM THE ORGAN TRADE is a gritty and unflinching descent into the shadowy world of black-market organ trafficking: the street-level brokers, the rogue surgeons, the impoverished men and women who are willing to sacrifice a slice of their own bodies for a quick payday, and the desperate patients who face the agonizing choice of obeying the law or saving their lives.
Every year thousands of organs are bought and sold on a black market that flourishes in dozens of countries where the rule of law is a hostage to the dollar sign.
TALES FROM THE ORGAN TRADE tells the story of the impoverished sellers of illegal organs and their often-conflicted first-world buyers. With unprecedented access to all the players, the film explores the legal, moral and ethical issues involved in this complex life and death drama.
This is not a black and white story of exploitation, but rather, a nuanced and complex story that compels you to explore your own moral and ethical beliefs. This is a world where the villains often save lives and the medical establishment, helpless, too often watches people die. Where the victims often walk away content and the buyers of organs – the recipients – return home with a new lease on life.
From Manila to Istanbul, from Colorado to Kosovo, from Toronto to Tel Aviv, the film brings to the screen a compelling cast whom fate has brought together where the gift of life meets the shadow of death.
Written and Directed by: Ric Esther Bienstock
Producers: Ric Esther Bienstock, Felix Golubev and Simcha Jacobovici
Award Highlights
- Winner, Edward R. Murrow Award, Overseas Press Club of America
- Winner, Donald Brittain Award, Best Social/Political Documentary Program, Canadian Screen Awards
- Winner, Barbara Sears Awards, Best Editorial Research, Canadian Screen Awards
- Winner, Media Award, Amnesty International Canada Media Awards
Festivals
- Official Selection Hot Docs 2013
- Official Selection Documentary Edge New Zealand 2013
- Official Selection MIFF 2013
- Official Selection SouthSide Film Festival 2013
- Official Selection San Antonio Film Festival 2013
Find the film on our store
-
Tales From the Organ Trade$14.99
Attention educators and institutions: there is a 56 minute version of the film available for non-theatrical educational use. Please email general@apltd.ca for more information and for public screenings and educational use.