2018 (Release) (Los Angeles opening)

2018-05-04 (LA release)
2018 (Academy Award)

English (Original)

Rob Epstein (Credited first; Documentary (Short Subject) Nominee); Jeffrey Friedman (Credited second; Documentary (Short Subject) Nominee)

Short

United States

Death
Health care
Hospice care

Three visionary medical providers practice on the cutting edge of life and death, helping to change the way we think about both: the palliative care team at UCSF Medical Center, the most sophisticated acute care hospital in Northern California; Zen Hospice Project, a Buddhist-inspired end-of-life residence in a classic San Francisco Victorian; and B.J. Miller, M.D., a physician who understands suffering first-hand (he lost three limbs in an accident when he was 19) and who has worked with both UCSF and Zen Hospice. For most people, the very words "hospice" and "palliative care" are nonstarters—code words for giving up. This core group of caregivers in San Francisco sees it differently. They are dedicated to relieving suffering, and to changing the way we think about—and make choices about—how we live our lives as we near life’s end.

-- Summary per Studio System

W1337998