Science in the Cinema

Amy, an architect from New York, falls in love with Virgil, a blind masseur. She convinces him to undergo experimental surgery, which restores his sight after a lifetime of blindness. Virgil must then learn to deal with the changes that being able to see brings to his life. Based on a story by Oliver Sacks.
Guest Speaker: Scott M. Whitcup, M.D., Clinical Director, National Eye Institute

In this true story of Jerry Stahl, the recovering heroin addict remembers his past. Stahl was a TV sitcom writer making a $5,000-a-week salary, while feeding a $6,000-a-week drug habit. While in rehab, he recalls the story of his descent into drug addiction.
Guest Speaker: Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D., Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Rocky, a boy with a fatal congenital facial deformity, attempts to live a normal life with the help of his biker gang mother, Rusty. The film is based on the real life story of Rocky Dennis, a likeable teenager who defies doctors' expectations of how long he had to live.
Guest Speaker: Harold C. Slavkin, DDS, Director, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Based on the true story of renowned cellist Jacqueline du Pre, who developed multiple sclerosis when she was at the height of her success, the film explores the complex relationship between Jackie and her sister, Hilary, from their childhood through adulthood.
Guest Speaker: Henry F. McFarland, M.D., Chief, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

This biography of the painful life of artist Vincent van Gogh was adapted from the best-selling novel by Irving Stone. The film explores the relationships the tormented genius had with his brother Theo and with fellow painter Paul Gauguin. It shows many of Van Gogh's paintings and the environments and emotions that inspired them.
Guest Speaker: Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

In July of 1981, an obscure story appeared in the New York Times about an outbreak of a rare form of cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma in a number of gay men. The film tracks a group of seven friends in New York City, beginning on that day, continuing through the '80s, and ending after AIDS has affected all of their lives.
Guest Speaker: Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

All films begin at 7 p.m. in the Natcher Auditorium at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Discussion follows each film. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. FREE. NIH Map


	Amy, an architect from New York, falls in love with Virgil, a blind masseur. She convinces him to undergo experimental surgery, which restores his sight after a lifetime of blindness. Virgil must then learn to deal with the changes that being able to see brings to his life. Based on a story by Oliver Sacks. *Guest Speaker:* *Scott M. Whitcup, M.D., Clinical Director, National Eye Institute*


	In this true story of Jerry Stahl, the recovering heroin addict remembers his past. Stahl was a TV sitcom writer making a $5,000-a-week salary, while feeding a $6,000-a-week drug habit. While in rehab, he recalls the story of his descent into drug addiction. *Guest Speaker:* *Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D., Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse*


	Rocky, a boy with a fatal congenital facial deformity, attempts to live a normal life with the help of his biker gang mother, Rusty. The film is based on the real life story of Rocky Dennis, a likeable teenager who defies doctors' expectations of how long he had to live. Guest Speaker: *Harold C. Slavkin, DDS, Director, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research*


	Based on the true story of renowned cellist Jacqueline du Pre, who developed multiple sclerosis when she was at the height of her success, the film explores the complex relationship between Jackie and her sister, Hilary, from their childhood through adulthood. *Guest Speaker: Henry F. McFarland, M.D., Chief, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke*


	This biography of the painful life of artist Vincent van Gogh was adapted from the best-selling novel by Irving Stone. The film explores the relationships the tormented genius had with his brother Theo and with fellow painter Paul Gauguin. It shows many of Van Gogh's paintings and the environments and emotions that inspired them. Guest Speaker: Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine


	In July of 1981, an obscure story appeared in the New York Times about an outbreak of a rare form of cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma in a number of gay men. The film tracks a group of seven friends in New York City, beginning on that day, continuing through the '80s, and ending after AIDS has affected all of their lives. Guest Speaker: *Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases*

All films begin at 7 p.m. in the Natcher Auditorium at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Discussion follows each film. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. FREE. NIH Map