Donated to Science

Synopsis

The Otago Medical School in New Zealand is one of the last medical schools in which students still perform significant human dissection. This film, from medical documentary maker Paul Trotman (a doctor himself), introduces us to both the donors who give their bodies to science and the students at Otago who will have to dissect them. Interviews conducted with the donors are shown to the students following the dissections,proviking an emotional response. The producers say, ‘This is not a film about death. This is not a film about dying. This is a film about relationships’ It’s about facing the inevitability of death and about love, life, mortality and knowledge; all the things that separate us from the animals. Death just happens to be part of the story.'

The student 2-disk version includes both the 44 and 80 minute versions of the film as well as: comments from several other donors and students who weren’t in the film; the full anatomy department memorial service; Professor Helen Nicholson’s history and introduction to anatomy lecture; deleted scenes and other bits and pieces.

The academic version includes an extra disk of interviews with the students and donors from the film and the full timelapse of the dissection, plus a licence to be able to use the material in teaching and show it to classes.

Language

English

Country

New Zealand

Year of release

2011

Year of production

2009

Subjects

Biology; Medical sciences

Keywords

anatomy - human; death; dissection procedures; medical students; organ donation

Credits

Director

Paul Trotman

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 0 PAL

Price

(student version) US $30; (academic version) US $75

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

44 or 80- minute versions

Year

2011

Distributor (Sale)

Name

PRN Films

Email

paul@prnfilms.co.nz

Web

http://prnfilms.co.nz External site opens in new window