The Final Inch

The Final Inch
publicity poster
Directed by	Irene Taylor Brodsky
Produced by	Sara Bernstein Irene Taylor Brodsky Tom Grant Sophie Harris Sheila Nevins
Starring	Mohammad Gulzar Saifi
Music by	Joe Janiga Courtney Von Drehle
Cinematography	Jeff Streich Irene Taylor Brodsky
Editing by	Bill Weber
Studio	Vermilion Films
Distributed by	Home Box Office
Release date(s)	April 1, 2009
Running time	38 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English Urdu Hindi

The Final Inch is a short documentary about the effort to eradicate polio. It was directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky and focuses on health workers who are on the front lines of the fight to eliminate the disease.^[1] It was filmed on location in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, and received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 81st Academy Awards.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The film debuted on HBO on April 1, 2009.^[7] The Final Inch is the first film project of Google.org,^[8] the philanthropic division of Google.^[9][10]

Background

The Final Inch focuses on the ongoing efforts to eradicate polio in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.^[2][10] The philanthropic division of Google backed the film's production to promote public awareness about polio and to raise awareness about the efforts of public health workers and volunteers fighting the disease in counties around the world.^[2] They approached Brodsky about making the film and she accepted the task of educating the public to the ongoing problem.^[2]

Many of the movie's scenes were shot in slum areas of India and Pakistan during "National Immunization Day" in April 2007.^[7] Brodsky wanted to include more comprehensive coverage of the polio problem in Afghanistan, but was unable to do so due to the threat of violence and because of social barriers.^[1][2] The production's ability to film in Afghanistan was hampered by increased danger to the film crew.^[1][2] Producer Tom Grant had to wear a bulletproof vest while filming along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border even while under constant U.N. protection.^[11] The crew was often denied access to homes because of familial protocols that forbid a man entering a home with women in it when no husband is present.^[1][2]

Synopsis

The film depicts the problems still occurring fifty years after the development of the polio vaccine, and shows areas where the polio virus is still found in several countries around the world. Without vaccinations it could re-emerge and re-infect regions where it was eradicated decades ago, and the film also notes that the first line of defense is a dedicated and continual effort by international health workers going door-to-door to ensure every child is vaccinated.^[2][9]

The Final Inch shows that there is an opportunity to eradicate polio from India and honors the work of health services and service volunteers. It recalls the devastating polio epidemics in the United States that occurred during the 1930s and 1950s, and discusses the dangers of a resurgence that still remain in the United States unless the disease is wiped out worldwide. Obstacles to eradication include lack of awareness, the large number of children requiring vaccination, geographical dispersal of the populations, social mores, religious beliefs, and suspicion of domestic and foreign governments.^[11] The movie shows that many of those at risk remain ignorant of polio's epidemiology and believe the disease is "American made", fostering a reluctance to be vaccinated.^[2][9][11]

Film Festivals

The Final Inch was screened in April 2009 at the Salem Film Festival and was described as being "profoundly moving" in its revealing coverage of the polio virus's ongoing impact, and was described as a "dramatic testament to those working on the front lines of health care".^[12]

Select list of festival entries

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completion. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

• Salem Film Festival, Oregon.^[13]
• Maratea Film Festival, Italy.^[14]

Partial cast

• Martha Mason^[9]
• Dr. Ashfaq Bhat^[9]
• Dr. Larry Brilliant^[11]
• Dr. David Heymann
• Munzareen Fatima^[15]
• Mikail Davenport^[9]
• Mohammad Gulzar Saifi^[16]

Additional Sources

• BBC News, "Final Inch towards the Oscars"^[17]
• IBN, "Not just Slumdog..., The Final Inch too in Oscar race"^[18]
• UNICEF, "Academy Award recognition for India’s fight to eradicate polio"^[19]

Additional reading

• The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene,"Dracunculiasis eradication: the final inch"^[20]
• Global Polio Eradication Initiative, "The disease and the virus"^[21]

References

External links

• Official website
• The Final Inch at the Internet Movie Database