Vancouver, BC – “18 Things You Should Know About Genetics,” by David Murawsky, has won first place for the best short film at Gene Screen BC 2011. David was awarded $3,500 in prize money for his film at the packed gala held last night at SFU Woodward’s Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema.

The winning video is an animated film that presents fundamental background information about genetics, as well as offering some quirky but interesting facts about DNA, genes and genetics.  It was created to be an upbeat, fun educational short film to initiate and draw interest to this sometimes daunting and seemingly complex subject matter.

Gene Screen BC is a short film competition presented by Genome BC and the BC Clinical Genomics Network (BCCGN). This partnership has facilitated up and coming  filmmakers and scientists to compete by creating short films on the role of genetics and genomics in human health. The purpose and focus of Gene Screen BC is to create a resource of films that inform and excite members of the public, including high school students, teachers, and physicians about the issues related to genomics and human health. Films can be in any format including documentary, short fiction or animation.

“We know that the films from last year’s competition have been used widely and extremely effectively. We have confirmed what a powerful tool storytelling can be when explaining the advances and complexities of genomics,” says Dr. Alan Winter, President and CEO of Genome BC. “We are gratified that these visual tools are serving to increase understanding for public audiences, including youth across the province.”

The filmmakers competed for $8,000 in prizes. The $2,500 second place award went to Marilyn Ness for her film “GENOME: The Future Is Now (Webisode 1).”  This film follows Harvard scientist, George Church, as he launches the Personal Genome Project. The film explains why he feels it is important to publicly sequence the genomes of 100,000 Americans.  

The $1,000 third place prize went to Reem Morsi for her film “Birth.” The film features stories based on real life people faced with genetic illness and their resulting life and death decisions. Interwoven are historical references and personal decisions made prior to genetic testing and its current capabilities. The film includes both real life and fictional vignettes which illustrate the ethical dilemmas of genetic testing on a personal level. 

This year’s People’s Choice winner was “The Greatest Drug in the World” by Roza Bidshahri.  This film defines and presents a realistic view of personalized medicine, with a specific focus on pharmacogenomics.  It begins with an infomercial that exaggerates the current state of medicine and then transitions to the reality of personalized medicine today and in the near future.

“We are delighted that Genome BC is working with us on such a worthwhile initiative. It has been a highly successful partnership which we hope to continue for many years to come,” says BCCGN co-leader Dr. Michael Hayden. “We know that these films are being seen and making a difference: last year’s winning film “Sequence Me” was used internationally as a teaching tool, it was shown at the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists Annual General Meeting, at CFRI’s mini med school as well as physicians rounds throughout BC,” added Dr. Jan Friedman, BCCGN co-leader. The film will also be shown at the upcoming International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal.

Films were required to have an educational message, be 3-10 minutes in length and have PG rated content. 19 films were submitted and included entries not only from local filmmakers in Vancouver, but also submissions from across Canada, the US and Europe. 

Judges included science media personality Jay Ingram, renowned and award-winning filmmaker Penelope Buitenhuis, and scientist Dr. Jennifer Gardy. The films will also be distributed to schools through Genome BC’s Geneskool educational program to be used to encourage debate and discussion. They will also be used by the BC Clinical Genomics Network in its genomics education program to inspire BC physicians to learn more about genomics and health. 

Everyone can view the films at www.genescreenbc.com/2011-videos. Pictures from the event can be found here.

Partial funding for this competition was also provided by the Year of Science initiative through the BC Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development.

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About Genome British Columbia:Genome British Columbia is a catalyst for the life sciences cluster on Canada’s West Coast, and manages a cumulative portfolio of over $450M in technology platforms and research projects. Working with governments, academia and industry across sectors such as forestry, fisheries, agriculture, environment, bioenergy, mining and human health, the goal of the organization is to generate social and economic benefits for British Columbia and Canada. www.genomebc.ca

The British Columbia Clinical Genomics Network (BCCGN) supports the advancement of scientific knowledge and its application to improved health outcomes in British Columbia through its network of clinical investigators and coordinated access to state-of-the-art genomic technologies, genetic research methodologies and support services. For more information, visit our website at www.bccgn.ca.

For additional information on this event, please contact:

Jennifer Boon, Communications Specialist
Genome BC
Phone: 778-327-8374
Email: jboon@genomebc.ca