SHOTS IN THE DARK -vaccination & injury

[link to www3.nfb.ca]

SHOTS IN THE DARK

We are proud to announce a new film from award-winning senior documentary filmmaker Lina Moreco of Canada. Lina's work includes Medicine Under the Influence, 2007 Winner of the Gemeaux Award for Best Documentary: Nature & Sciences.

According to Teri Arranga, U.S. consultant to the film, "Lina Moreco's track record for thought- provoking documentaries is evident in Shots in the Dark. From laboratories in Canada to homes in Paris to medical practices in the United States, and through talking to
researchers, clinicians, and survivors, Shots in the Dark's
examination of possible side effects of vaccine ingredients -- spanning three countries and examining various health conditions -- illuminates this vital area in a compelling way that cannot be ignored."

Please visit:
[link to www.nfb.ca]

Or email:
<mailto:shotsinthedark%40nfb.ca>[email protected]

The English language film and website will be completed after Christmas. The English language film will be available for on-line purchase at approximately the end of January 2009.

PROJECTED U.S. PREMIERE - The English language film is projected to be available for first viewing in public in the U.S. at the Autism One 2009 Conference, Chicago, IL. (Screening of the film will be free; copies of DVD will be available for purchase).

For information about viewing in Canada please see website.

FILM SUMMARY :
Following the increase in cases of autism and other immune disorders among some particularly vulnerable people, several recognized specialists are questioning the safety of large scale vaccination.
Despite the serious side effects, pharmaceutical companies, the medical profession, and government authorities continue to bury their heads in the sand, refusing to see a serious problem. In Canada, the United States, and France, as in most industrialized countries, victims are almost without recourse despite the high toxicity of substances such as mercury and aluminum contained in vaccines. With this hard-hitting documentary, Lina B. Moreco highlights a very
worrying public health problem.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Since they were introduced in the early 20th century, vaccines have been regarded as a tremendous medical and scientific success. Today, perceived as a necessity, they are so familiar to us that their potential risks are rarely mentioned.

However, the stakes are significant. Based on recommendations of health agencies, North American children receive about 48 doses of 14 different vaccines before the age of 6—double the amount prescribed 25 years earlier. Despite this extraordinary increase, few studies independent of the pharmaceutical industry have been conducted into their long-term side effects. This is a disturbing situation given the numerous toxins, including mercury and aluminum, contained in some commonly administered vaccines.

Several worried pediatricians and scientists are sounding the alarm.
Some of the research underway indicates that vaccination is directly responsible for immune or neurological disorders among certain people who are genetically or neurologically predisposed to react badly to vaccine components. Cases of autism, multiple sclerosis, Guillain- Barré syndrome, macrophagic myofasciitis, encephalitis, paralysis, and neuropathies indicate the seriousness of the situation.

Despite these findings, the pharmaceutical industry and government authorities deny there is a serious problem. Relying on perfunctory studies, some of which date back to the late 1920s, they reject out- of-hand any cause-and-effect relationship. Given the known fact that adding preservatives such as thimerosal (mercury) helps reduce
production costs, the reaction of the pharmaceutical industry is at the very least puzzling. A majority of the medical profession's members reject any potential toxicity in vaccines.

Concerned by the many cases of autism observed in their practice, some doctors and researchers believe that more research must be done despite the resistance of the medical community.

There's also the issue of victim compensation, for example in the case of Aurélie (a young Frenchwoman seriously weakened by multiple sclerosis after receiving the hepatitis B vaccine at age 14) and her compatriot Yves (suffering from a degenerative neuromuscular
disease "macrophagic myofasciitis," which appeared after he received a hepatitis A vaccine), or even the many parents whose children's development was arrested after vaccination. In France and the United States, non-profit organizations like REVAHB and NVIC were created to
raise public awareness and organize legal recourse to offer victims compensation. The governments of Quebec and the United States, for their part, have set up indemnification programs for victims of vaccination, but unfortunately these funds are difficult to access and oblige the sick person to go to court, often to no avail.

With Shots in the dark, Lina B. Moreco paints a disturbing portrait of the problem and reveals the intransigence of public health authorities. Filmed in Canada, France, and the United States, her documentary reveals the scope of the phenomenon. In addition to victims, families, and citizens, some high-level researchers offer their opinions on the issue and try to explain the complex processes involved in the side effects of vaccination.

An increasing number of vaccines are now strongly recommended in Quebec (which are said to be mandatory in the U.S. and France), without a precise evaluation of potential risks. Do we get all the information necessary when the time comes for us or one of our children to be vaccinated? Are we really able to make an enlightened
decision? The mother of a normal child who became autistic after vaccination summarized the paradox well, "I wish I had not listened to the doctors who say, "You have to vaccinate your child" … But she did not know better at the time….

Instead of rejecting documented benefits of vaccination, Shots in the dark underlines the necessity of supporting research to better understand the long-term effects of vaccination and protect the minority at risk. This deeply compassionate film raises a basic and disturbing question: "How many people are we willing to sacrifice silently in the name of the greater good?"