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Length: 52:32

Filmmaker:

Claire Panke

Official Web Site
http://www.littleoneprods.com

Distributor(s):
Fanlight Productions
http://fanlight.com/catalog/films/317_actg.php Tapestry International
http://www.tapestry.tv/ds_catalog.php

Funder(s):
New York State Council on the Arts
http://www.nysca.org The Donnet Fund
The Arnold A. Schwartz Foundation
Jay Perry Foundation
Bartimaeus Foundation

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A Chance to Grow

Stories of Grace and Courage in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit

Film Description

Within the unique world of a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, premature and critically-ill newborns receive high-tech care that allows medical professionals to work miracles on these new, fragile lives.

A Chance to Grow, a one-hour documentary directed by neonatal nurse Claire Marie Panke, follows three families on an intimate journey as they navigate the unpredictable terrain of a neonatal intensive care unit. The inevitable shifts in each baby's condition provide dramatic twists that challenge family stability and redefine parental love.

The NICU environment has a profound effect on professionals as well as parents. Throughout the film, staff members reveal the challenges and rewards of working in the NICU, as well as complex ethical issues such as multiple births and the borders of survival outside the womb.

As the stories in A Chance to Grow unfold, they reveal not only the impact of newborn intensive care on families, but the capacity of ordinary individuals to adapt to crises with extraordinary grace and courage.

News:

*The Montel Williams Show 5/03 *Featured guest, Satellite Sisters (NPR) *The New York Times 10/5/00 *The Los Angeles Times 9/22/00 *The New York Post 9/27/00 *Entertainment Weekly 10/6/00 *TV Guide 10/7/00 -see website for additional press coverage-

Screenings:

*Broadcast on The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Television, Swedish TV, Hong Kong TV, New Zealand TV, and other venues. *DoubleTake (now Full Frame) Documentary Film Festival; DocSide Film Festival; Ojai Film Festival; Columbus International Film & Video Festival. *Multiple screenings at hospitals, universities, conferences, and parent organizations

Biographies

Claire Marie Panke graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English and went on to work as a writer, editor, and photographer. Within a few years she earned a second degree in nursing and joined the staff of a neonatal intensive care unit, providing her with unique access to the compelling stories that unfold within the NICU. She was named the 1999 Maternal Child Nurse of the Year by the Greater New York March of Dimes. Claire received a certificate in film from New York University, and has worked on various independent productions, as well as producing and directing several short films.

She is currently working on her second documentary feature, Rhythm of the Heart (listed on this site).

Awards