The Final Inch

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The Final Inch
The Final Inch poster.jpg
Publicity poster
Directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky
Produced byIrene Taylor Brodsky
Tom Grant
StarringMohammad Gulzar Saifi
CinematographyJeff Streich
Irene Taylor Brodsky
Edited byBill Weber
Music byJoe Janiga
Courtney Von Drehle
Production
company
Vermilion Films
Distributed by Home Box Office
Release date
  • April 1, 2009 (2009-04-01)
Running time
38 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
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 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]

Contents

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 efforts that were ongoing to eradicate polio in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan [2] [10] (it has since been eradicated in India; [11] [12] efforts continue in Pakistan and Afghanistan). The corollary goal of worldwide eradication of polio has attracted attention, but "getting rid of the last 1 percent has been like trying to squeeze Jell-O to death." [13]

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. [14] 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 depicted the problems still occurring fifty years after the development of the polio vaccine, and shows areas where the polio virus was 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 was an opportunity to eradicate polio from India (the last case of wild polio in India was reported on 13 January 2011 [11] and the WHO announced the eradication of poliomyelitis in the region on 27 March 2014 [12] ) 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. [14] 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] [14]

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". [15]

Select list of festival entries

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Partial cast

Additional sources

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polio</span> Infectious disease caused by poliovirus

Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe symptoms develop such as headache, neck stiffness, and paresthesia. These symptoms usually pass within one or two weeks. A less common symptom is permanent paralysis, and possible death in extreme cases. Years after recovery, post-polio syndrome may occur, with a slow development of muscle weakness similar to what the person had during the initial infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polio vaccine</span> Vaccine to prevent poliomyelitis

Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends all children be fully vaccinated against polio. The two vaccines have eliminated polio from most of the world, and reduced the number of cases reported each year from an estimated 350,000 in 1988 to 33 in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dracunculiasis</span> Infection by the Guinea worm

Dracunculiasis, also called Guinea-worm disease, is a parasitic infection by the Guinea worm, Dracunculus medinensis. A person becomes infected by drinking water contaminated with Guinea-worm larvae that reside inside copepods. Stomach acid digests the copepod and releases the Guinea worm, which penetrates the digestive tract and escapes into the body. Around a year later, the adult female migrates to an exit site – usually the lower leg – and induces an intensely painful blister on the skin. Eventually, the blister bursts, creating a painful wound from which the worm gradually emerges over several weeks. The wound remains painful throughout the worm's emergence, disabling the affected person for the three to ten weeks it takes the worm to emerge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulse Polio</span> Indian governmental immunisation campaign

Pulse Polio is an immunisation campaign established by the government of India to eliminate poliomyelitis (polio) in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the polio virus. The project fights polio through a large-scale, pulse vaccination programme and monitoring for poliomyelitis cases.

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<i>Dracunculus medinensis</i> Species of parasitic worm

Dracunculus medinensis is a nematode that causes dracunculiasis, also known as guinea worm disease. The disease is caused by the female which, at around 80 centimetres in length, is among the longest nematodes infecting humans. The length of specimens exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism, as the longest recorded male Guinea worm is only 4 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irene Taylor (filmmaker)</span> American director and producer (born 1970)

Irene Taylor is a film director and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polio eradication</span> Effort to permanently eliminate all cases of poliomyelitis infection

Polio eradication, the goal of permanent global cessation of circulation of the poliovirus and hence elimination of the poliomyelitis (polio) it causes, is the aim of a multinational public health effort begun in 1988, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Rotary Foundation. These organizations, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Gates Foundation, have spearheaded the campaign through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Successful eradication of infectious diseases has been achieved twice before, with smallpox in humans and rinderpest in ruminants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy</span> Pakistani filmmaker and journalist (born 1978)

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Canadian-Pakistani journalist, filmmaker and political activist known for her work in films that highlight gender inequality against women.

Mass vaccination is a public policy effort to vaccinate a large number of people, possibly the entire population of the world or of a country or region, within a short period of time. This policy may be directed during a pandemic, when there is a localized outbreak or scare of a disease for which a vaccine exists, or when a new vaccine is invented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eradication of infectious diseases</span> Elimination of a disease from all hosts

The eradication of infectious diseases is the reduction of the prevalence of an infectious disease in the global host population to zero.

<i>Slumdog Millionaire</i> 2008 film directed by Danny Boyle

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Pakistan is one of the two remaining countries in the world where poliomyelitis (polio) is still categorized as an endemic viral infection, the other one being Afghanistan. While it has yet to fully eradicate Polio, there has been a major downwards trend in the number of reported cases per year; the total count of wild poliovirus cases in Pakistan in 2019 was down to 147, compared to 84 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 20 in 2022, 6 in 2023 and 8 as of June 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Polio Eradication Initiative</span> Initiative to eradicate polio

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eradication of dracunculiasis</span> Permanent global eradication from humans

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The World Health Organization (WHO) created the Global Commission for the Certification of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis in 1995 to independently verify the eradication of wild poliovirus. The GCC certified the worldwide eradication of indigenous wild poliovirus type 2 on 20 September 2015, and wild poliovirus type 3 on 17 October 2019. In addition, five of the six World Health Organization Regions certified their status as free of indigenous transmission of all three serotypes of wild poliovirus :

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Yates, Kara (February 20, 2009). "Polio makes its 'Final Inch' toward global eradication". CNN . Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 White, Thomas (15 February 2009). "Meet the Academy Award Nominees: Irene Taylor Brodsky--'The Final Inch'". International Documentary Association . Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  3. ↑ "2009 Oscar Winners List". MTV. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  4. ↑ "81st Annual Academy Awards - Nominations". Oscar.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Oscar nominated films Slumdog & The Final Inch raise Polio awareness". Business of Cinema. February 16, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  6. ↑ Mesh, Aaron (March 18, 2009). "POW! Down goes polio". Willamette Week . Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Documentary on polio debuts on HBO 1 April". Rotary International/The Rotary Foundation. March 31, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  8. ↑ Niles, Chris (April 3, 2009). "Window closing on chance to push polio 'The Final Inch' towards eradication". UNICEF . Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Final Inch". HBO Documentary Films. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Vincent, Glyn. "Sound Stages". Columbia Magazine (Winter 2007-08): paragraph 13. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  11. 1 2 "Polio-free certification: WHO South-East Asia". WHO. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  12. 1 2 "WHO South-East Asia Region certified polio-free". WHO. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  13. ↑ McNeil, Donald. In Battle Against Polio, a Call for a Final Salvo." New York Times. February 1, 2011; excerpt, "... getting rid of the last 1 percent has been like trying to squeeze Jell-O to death. As the vaccination fist closes in one country, the virus bursts out in another .... The [eradication] effort has now cost $9 billion, and each year consumes another $1 billion."
  14. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Stephen W. (February 20, 2009). "Documentary On Polio Battle Vies For Oscar". CBS News. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  15. ↑ "The Final Inch". Salem Film Festival. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  16. ↑ Final Inch, Salem Film Festival. April 2009
  17. ↑ "Francis Ford Coppola padrino del Maratea Film Festival," Affaritaliani. 18 August 2009.
  18. ↑ "Meerut's war on polio finds a global face". Headlines India. February 20, 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  19. ↑ Mishra, Manjari (January 25, 2009). "India is flavour of Oscar season". Times of India . Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  20. ↑ Pandey, Geeta (February 19, 2009). "Final Inch towards the Oscars". BBC News . Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  21. ↑ "Not just Slumdog..., The Final Inch too in Oscar race". IBN. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  22. ↑ "Academy Award recognition for India's fight to eradicate polio". UNICEF. February 18, 2009. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  23. ↑ Hopkins DR; Ruiz-Tiben E; Downs P; Withers PC Jr; Maguire JH. (2005). "Dracunculiasis eradication: the final inch". The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 73 (4). The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene: 669–675. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2005.73.669 . PMID   16222007. S2CID   16813689 . Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  24. ↑ "The disease and the virus". Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
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