IMMORTAL PRESS KIT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 PAGE SYNOPSIS
1 SYNOPSES
2 ONE LINE SYNOPSIS
PARAGRAPH SYNOPSIS
2 2 THE SCIENCE
3 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
5 KEY SCIENTISTS
9 PROF. ELIZABETH BLACKBURN
PROF CAROL GREIDER
DR BILL ANDREWS
DR DEAN ORNISH MD
PROF LEONARD HAYFLICK
DR CALVIN HARLEY
DR MICHAEL WEST
MR NOEL PATTON
DR MARY ARMANIOS MD
DR ELISSA EPEL
DR ANGELA BROOKS-WILSON
9 10 10 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 13 THE PARTICIPANTS
15 DAL RICHARDS
RAE NEWSOME
PAULETTE SOLT
JACK MCCLURE
15 15 15 15 DIRECTORS STATEMENT
16 KEY PRODUCTION TEAM
17 DIRECTOR: SONYA PEMBERTON
PRODUCER: TONY WRIGHT
DOP: HARRY PANAGIOTIDIS
EDITOR: WAYNE HYETT
17 17 18 18 PRODUCTION DETAILS
19 CONTACT DETAILS
19 PUBLICIST
PRODUCTION COMPANY
19 19 IMMORTAL
1 PAGE SYNOPSIS
Can it possibly be true? Could scientists really have discovered the secret
to endless youth?
Is there really such a thing as an 'immortalising' enzyme, a chemical
catalyst that can keep cells young forever?
A team of scientists, lead by the remarkable Australian-born Professor
Elizabeth Blackburn, believe the answer to be YES.
In 2009, Elizabeth and her team’s discovery of an enzyme deep in the DNA
of a single-celled pond creature, the so-called 'immortalising' enzyme, was
awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
Now, this remarkable enzyme is being harnessed. The molecular clock it
controls - the countdown to death in each cell - can be tested, measured
and in some cases, it can even be stopped. Amazingly, middle-aged
human cells have been replenished and rejuvenated by triggering this
enzyme, becoming, in effect, young again. Many believe that the 'cure'
for ageing, has now arrived.
But there is a dark side to this incredible find.
The 'immortalising' enzyme is a complex biological riddle, with a paradox
at its core. This same enzyme that fuels life, also fuels cancer. Cancer it
seems, is the true immortal. It has the ability to replicate endlessly, ignoring
instructions to die. And cancer cells have hyperactive levels of this same
enzyme. So the key to endless life, is also the key to cancer's deadly
success.
The challenge is now on to find a balance between the power to extend
life, and the ability to destroy it.
Featuring Nobel Prize winners and experts in ageing, personal stories and
provocative old films, IMMORTAL reveals the inner workings of this
biological paradox and its remarkable impact on ageing, disease and
cancer. We also discover the role of stress and lifestyle in the ageing
process and what steps we can all take, right now, to protect our precious
genetic material. For today, around the globe, brilliant minds are busy
harnessing this cellular ‘Fountain of Youth’ to help us all live longer, well.
Five years in the making IMMORTAL, written and directed by Sonya
Pemberton and produced by December Films, will screen on SBS.
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IMMORTAL
SYNOPSES
One line synopsis
The key to endless life has been discovered. The bad news is, it can kill you.
Paragraph synopsis
Astonishingly, science has uncovered the key to unlimited life - and a
secret of endless youth. Deep in the DNA of a humble pond creature an
Australian-born scientist co-discovered an ‘immortalising’ enzyme, a
chemical catalyst that can keep cells young, forever. In 2009 this discovery
was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine. But, this is no simple ‘cure’ for
ageing. For the same enzyme that fuels endless youth, also fuels cancer.
IMMORTAL reveals the inner workings of this biological paradox and its
remarkable impact on ageing, stress, disease and cancer.
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THE SCIENCE
Why do we age? What makes our hair go grey or our skin wrinkle over
time? Why does our vision, immune system, lungs and heart all deteriorate;
and why does this happen quicker in some people than in others?
Ageing happens in our cells.
Human cells reproduce by dividing, each cell producing identical copies of
itself over and over. A cell can only do this so many times, though. After a
certain number of divisions (the Hayflick limit), most human cells enter a form
of cell’s old age, called senescence. They can’t reproduce any more, and
eventually they die. Cells that have to divide rapidly to repair wear and tear,
like skin cells and the lining of our lungs, are the first to wear out. This cellular
mortality is thought to explain over 80 per cent of the deterioration and
diseases associated with human ageing.
The mechanism behind the Hayflick limit, the
countdown inside every cell, was found in the
“biological wilderness” at the furthest reaches
of our DNA. At the ends of every natural strand
of DNA are specialised regions called
telomeres, which protect the rest of the strand
from damage and disorder like caps on the
ends of shoelaces. Every time a cell
reproduces, these caps become shorter, until
vital parts of the DNA become exposed and
start to malfunction.
The structure and makeup of telomeres were first discovered by Australianborn molecular biologist Professor Elizabeth Blackburn in the late 1970s.
So, is there no escaping this countdown to death?
In 1984, Blackburn and her (then) student Carol Greider discovered how some
cells and organisms escape the Hayflick limit: They discovered an enzyme
that can add new DNA to telomeres, replacing the DNA lost during cell
division and effectively winding back the clock. They named this new enzyme
telomerase. Cells with high levels of telomerase enzyme activity never grow
old and never stop reproducing. They are, in effect, immortal.
In the late 1990s, a human telomerase gene was found and replicated
(cloned). In most human cells, this gene is expressed at very low levels. When
such cells were made to produce extra telomerase enzyme, however, their
reproductive lifespan (Hayflick limit) increased significantly.
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What does this have to do with human ageing?
Further discoveries confirmed that telomere length and telomerase enzyme
activity are connected to human ageing:
•
•
•
•
In general, the older a human being is, the shorter their telomeres are;
People under chronic stress, which is known to accelerate signs of
ageing, have unusually short telomeres for their age, as do heavy
alcohol users;
People with shorter telomeres in their cells are at greater risk of agerelated diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease;
A number of ‘premature ageing’ diseases have been linked to defects
in telomerase enzyme function and unusual shortening of telomeres.
If we can make our cells live longer, can we make ourselves live longer?
As well as potentially preventing or treating diseases, the telomerase enzyme
is being heralded by some as the key to slowing or even halting the ageing
process. Telomerase Activation Sciences Ltd (T.A. Sciences) in New York is
already selling a health supplement TA-65, said to activate telomerase
throughout your body, improving health and vitality.
The telomerase enzyme has a dark side, though. It can sustain life, but it can
also fuel cancer. Cancer cells are true immortals, dividing out of control and
ignoring all instructions to stop and die. Telomerase enzyme activity is
elevated in 90 per cent of cancer cells, and the hero of the 1990s now has a
bounty on its head: Around the world, companies such as Geron Corp are
developing inhibitors, vaccines and detection tests that target this ‘universal
cancer marker’.
We are now starting to understand the critical balance between renewing
healthy cells and safeguarding against cancer, between life and death.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is this a film about trying to live forever?
This is a film about what it means to be mortal, and immortal, at a cellular
level. Cellular immortality HAS been achieved, and we reveal how this was
done and it’s remarkable implications. The question is, how does this apply
to humans?
Can we really switch off the ‘molecular clock’ of aging?
In cells, yes.
Will this increase our lifespan?
The breakthroughs of Elizabeth Blackburn (and others in telomere biology)
reveal that harnessing the ‘molecular clock’, activating and deactivating
it, has the power to extend the lifespan of our cells, and this in turn
appears to impact the lifespan of the organs and functions of the body.
This implies that it may genuinely extend human lifespan. But the real
impact can be felt – right now - in increasing healthspan, rather than
lifespan. By understanding the real ageing process of our cells, measuring
it in our DNA and learning how to activate it naturally, we can learn how
to live well, longer.
There are many scientists working on increasing human lifespan across the
world. There are various elements that impact how long we may live including genes, diet, telomeres and more - and there is much debate
about which is the most critical. Many leading experts in aging believe we
can, and will, extend human longevity by several decades, in the next
twenty years or so. Less common is the belief that we will extend human
life to 200-plus years within a generation – but some scientists do believe
this will happen. Understanding how telomeres and the enzyme
telomerase work in creating and sustaining immortal cells plays a key role.
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How important is the cancer side of the story?
The fact that the same enzyme – telomerase – creates immortality in cells
is key to dealing with cancer. Cancer cells can ignore signals to die, and
are able to replicate over and over again – they are effectively immortal
cells. The enzyme telomerase is the fuel that powers them, keeping them
reproducing endlessly. Switch off telomerase and the cancer cells splutter
to a stop. This can happen very fast – within a week in some cases, under
experimental conditions. Without telomerase cancer cells ‘remember’
how to die and ‘go mortal’. The importance of harnessing telomerase in
cancer is undisputed.
Why did Elizabeth Blackburn (together with Carol Greider and Jack
Szostak) win a Nobel prize?
They discovered the ‘immortalising enzyme’ that can keep cells young,
forever.
Prof Elizabeth Blackburn first discovered the molecular make up of the cells
internal clock – the telomere. The telomere had been known as the cap
on the ends of the chromosome, protecting our DNA. But what it was
made of and how it worked was a mystery. Through Liz’s pioneering work
we now know it is the counting down mechanism of the cell, tracking the
cells gradual decline until it can reproduce no more (it reaches what is
known as the Hayflick Limit). It is a type of DNA fuse, counting a cell down
to death. Liz worked out what the telomeres were made of and then, with
Jack Szostak, how they were common across species. Liz also noticed that
in some cases the cells telomeres did not wear down as expected. These
cells replicated endlessly – they did not die. She and Jack argued that
there was a mystery enzyme at work. Liz went hunting for it.
Then, together with her graduate student Carol Greider, she found the
‘immortalising enzyme’. They called it telomerase. We now know that this
enzyme plays a vital role in keeping cells young, healthy and reproducing
endlessly. This is the key to immortality in cells – and has significant
implications for aging and cancer.
What does this mean for other diseases?
Recent research is showing a clear link between the diseases associated
with aging and the length of telomeres. It seems that as the DNA fuse (the
telomere) runs down the cell functions are affected, and we see an
increase in diseases such as lung disease, heart disease, diabetes,
osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, dementia and many cancers. This means that
we can track how well we are aging, in terms of how susceptible we are
to the diseases of old age, by looking at our telomeres.
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Can we wind back the ageing clock?
Yes, with some qualifications. It has been shown that if you add extra
genes for telomerase into human cells in Petri dish, you can wind back the
aging clock and the cells become young again. This is shown in the film.
But because this requires gene therapy (i.e. inserting genes into cells) this is
not yet workable in human beings (people have died after gene therapy).
Gene therapy is still a developing science, but stay tuned!
Right now, new preliminary studies are showing that you can naturally
increase the levels of telomerase in the body by a low fat diet, exercise
and focused relaxation therapies. This appears to stabilise or even
increase telomere length, and reduce susceptibility to the diseases of old
age. See Dr Dean Ornish and Liz’s work in lifestyle and telomerase levels.
What has stress got to do with all this?
In tracking the lengths of telomeres, Liz and her collaborator psychologist
Dr Elissa Epel discovered that chronically stressed people had, on
average, shorter telomeres. Even people who believed they were stressed
often had shorter telomeres. This means stressed people may be more at
risk for the diseases of old age, heart attacks and the like. This susceptibility
makes sense in light of other studies (and many anecdotes) that show links
between periods of chronic stress and getting seriously sick. The
astonishing thing is, the length of the telomere is now proving a vivid
biomarker, showing how much damage stress is doing. It may also prove
the pathway for how stress does it’s damage – e.g.: chronic stress can
lead to telomere shortening, which can lead to diseases and cancer,
which can lead to early death. The clear message is that it pays to
manage stress.
Can meditation help me live longer?
Meditation and mindfulness training is being shown to increase levels of
telomerase and so increase length of telomeres. Regular sessions of
meditation or focused relaxation therapies (2 x 1 hr a week) showed an
increase in telomere length over a year or so. When relaxation was
combined with low fat diet and exercise the telomerase levels increases
by 29% in only 90 days!
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The story is just beginning…
Telomere biology is an exploding field around the world. Dozens of labs,
hundreds of scientists and millions of dollars are now focused on this riddle
of cellular immortality. Liz Blackburn and others believe there are many
more secrets to be revealed.
Telomerase levels and telomere length are being measured, and every
day new links are being found. In May 2010 excessive alcohol was linked
to shorter telomeres. Earlier this year several studies showed that regular
vigorous exercise helps maintain telomere length. There are obvious things
we can do to protect our precious genetic material.
Testing telomere length not yet easily available at local doctors. It is
primarily used in laboratories as it is still an evolving science and more work
needs to be done before we rush out to see how fast we are aging, and
how long we might live. But it has been predicted that within 5 years it will
be readily available to the public. What will we do with that knowledge?
How much would we want to know?
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KEY SCIENTISTS
PROF. ELIZABETH BLACKBURN
Elizabeth Blackburn was born in Tasmania in 1948, studied
biology at Melbourne University, then left Australia to join
the pioneers of genetics at the University of Cambridge
(UK). By the late 1970s, Blackburn had moved to Yale
University (US). There she uncovered the DNA sequence
of telomeres, the ‘caps’ that protect the ends of DNA
strands. Her experiments used Tetrahymena, single-celled
organisms found in ponds, because they each have
huge numbers of small chromosomes and therefore lots of telomeres.
Blackburn also noticed that Tetrahymena do something that it was previously
thought only viruses did: They add new DNA to chromosomes. Curious to
discover how, she set up her own lab at the University of California, Berkley. On
Christmas day, 1984, Professor Blackburn and her graduate student Carol
Greider had a breakthrough: They found an enzyme that adds ‘telomeric’
DNA to chromosome ends, and they named it telomerase.
So profound are the implications of these discoveries that Blackburn and
Greider jointly received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in
2006, the Paul Erlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in 2009, and (with
collaborator Prof Jack Szostak) the 2009 Nobel Prize for Medicine “for the
discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme
telomerase”.
For more than 40 years, Blackburn has been pursuing and answering the “hard
questions” of life itself. Her discoveries have opened up whole new fields of
scientific research. She has published widely, and become one of the world’s
most influential and outspoken scientists. Highly regarded by her peers, she is
undoubtedly one of the top biomedical researchers in the world, and now has
a somewhat reluctant “science superstar” public profile, particularly in the US.
In 2004, Blackburn was front page news across the world after being sacked
from President George W. Bush’s Council on Bioethics for her outspoken
advocacy of human embryonic stem cell research and therapeutic cloning.
The outcry was vast: 170 top scientists wrote an open letter to President Bush
complaining of political interference in science. Blackburn doesn’t feel
martyred, though, saying “I wear it as a badge of honour”. Blackburn has since
found favour with the USA’s new administration, as was recently elected
president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
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Blackburn has been referred to in the media (TIME, New Yorker, USA Today) as
a leader of the anti-ageing revolution, but rejects such labels. She doesn’t
believe she has discovered a ‘magic bullet’ to stop ageing, but is now
discovering how telomere shortening and telomerase enzyme activity control
contribute to diseases of ageing such as cardiovascular disease, bone marrow
failure and vulnerability to cancer. For more details of Blackburn’s most recent
research, see http://biochemistry.ucsf.edu/labs/blackburn.
PROF CAROL GREIDER
In 1984, just nine months after joining Elizabeth Blackburn’s new lab at the
University of California Berkley as a graduate student,
Carol Greider played a key role in the discovery of the
telomerase enzyme. Her part in this discovery recently
earned Greider a share in the 2009 Nobel Prize for
Medicine. In the early 1990s, Greider and Dr Calvin
Harley made the first solid link between human ageing
and telomere shortening, showing that older humans
generally have shorter telomeres in their cells. In 1993,
Greider moved to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in
Baltimore, USA, where she is now
the Daniel Nathans Professor and the Director of the Department of Molecular
Biology and Genetics. She is currently studying the mechanism by which
telomere ‘caps’ and telomerase enzyme maintain the stability of
chromosomes, and how cells recognize critically short telomeres as damaged
DNA: See www.greiderlab.org. Together with her former student Mary
Armanios, Greider is also looking into links between telomerase enzyme
malfunctions and ‘premature ageing’ diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis (IPF) and dyskeratosis congenita (DKC).
DR BILL ANDREWS
In the mid-1990s, Dr Bill Andrews became director of molecular
biology at Geron Corp, a company formed by Dr Michael
West to harness telomerase technology for the fight against
human ageing and associated diseases. There, Andrews took
part in the discovery of two genes that produce the central
components of the human telomerase enzyme, earning him
second place in the US National Inventor of the Year awards,
1997. When Geron shelved its initial telomerase activator development
program, Andrews left and set up his own company: Sierra Sciences LLC
(Reno, Nevada) with the aim to “cure ageing or die trying”, and is
screening thousands of chemical compounds every week in an effort to
identify new telomerase activators. Now 58-years-old, Andrews runs
‘ultramarathons’ over 100 miles long, and attributes his youthful vigour to
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T.A. Sciences’ telomerase activator pill TA-65: “A year after I started taking
TA-65 I had to get a new prescription for glasses because my eyes got
younger… I used to have age spots on my hands, but they’ve just
suddenly disappeared,” says Andrews.
In August 2009, Life Extension
Magazine published an article by Bill Andrews Dr Michael West on “Turning
on Immortality: The Debate over Telomerase Activation”. Dr Andrews
wrote in favour of the use of telomerase activators, such as TA-65, while Dr
West cautioned against such products.
DR DEAN ORNISH MD
Dr Dean Ornish’s Preventative Medicine Research Institute
(PMRI) markets a diet, exercise and stress reduction program
named the Spectrum Program. Ornish has been interviewed
on Oprah, listed in LIFE magazine’s 50 most influential
members of his generation and selected by Forbes magazine
as “one of the seven most powerful teachers in the world”. In
2008, Ornish published a study in collaboration with Prof.
Elizabeth Blackburn that found 30 men diagnosed with “lowrisk” prostate cancer, who undertook Ornish’s Spectrum program for three
months, showed an almost 30 per cent increase in telomerase enzyme
activity in their white blood cells (i.e. immune cells) and a significant decrease
in several cancer markers.
PROF LEONARD HAYFLICK
In 1965, Leonard Hayflick showed that certain human cells
can only divide a limited number of times. This number of
divisions later became known as the “Hayflick Limit”, and has
been linked to the process of human ageing and its
associated diseases. Hayflick has published widely on the
subject of ageing and age-related deterioration, including
the book How and Why We Age (Ballantine Books) in 1996.
Hayflick strongly opposes anti-ageing medicine/research, both on grounds of
feasibility and desirability: In a 2005 interview with Smart publications, he
insisted “the goal of ageing research should not be to intervene with the
ageing process and thereby increase longevity. The goal of biogerontological
research should be to discover why an old cell is more vulnerable to pathology
than is a young cell”. Hayflick is now an adjunct professor of anatomy at
University of California San Francisco (UCSF), concentrating on theoretical
(rather than experimental) work, and acts as a consultant to San Francisco
based drug developer Genentech. See also detailed biography by the Max
Planck Institute for Human Development.
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DR CALVIN HARLEY
In the early 1990s, in collaboration with Carol Greider, Dr
Calvin Harley showed that telomere length was associated
with human ageing. Measurements in cells from people of
varying ages (including three generations of Harley’s own
family) showed that the older a person is, the shorter their
telomeres are. In the mid-90s, Harley joined Geron Corp and
took part in the discovery of the gene that produces the
human telomerase enzyme. Harley retired as Geron’s Chief
Scientific Officer for Telomerase Technologies in September 2009, and now
acts as a “senior adviser” to Geron. He is also now helping T.A. Sciences to
analyse its data on prolonged human use of telomerase inhibitor TA-65 (inlicensed by T.A. Sciences from Geron), including effects on blood cell
telomere lengths and immune function.
DR MICHAEL WEST
Michael West received his Ph.D. from Baylor College of
Medicine in 1989, for a project on the biology of cellular
ageing. In 1990, West founded Geron Corporation
(named after the Greek for “old man”) to harness
telomerase technology for the fight against human
ageing and associated diseases. He served as a Director
and Vice President of Geron until 1998, overseeing the
discovery of the first human telomerase gene,
identification of naturally occurring telomerase activators
(such as TA-65) and early development of telomerase inhibitors with potential as
anti-cancer agents. From 1998 to 2007, Dr West was President and CSO of
Advanced Cell Technology Inc, working on cloning technologies such as
somatic cell nuclear transfer. He is now CEO of BioTime Inc and BioTime’s
subsidiary Embryome Sciences Inc, both in Alameda CA. These companies are
developing products based on induced pluripotent stem cells (Ips cells),
rejuvenated cells in which previously short telomeres have been extended to
resemble those of young cells. See www.michaelwest.org for more information.
MR NOEL PATTON
A self-made multi-millionaire, Noel Patton invested in Geron
Corp in 1999 and helped set up a collaboration between the
company and Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology. The university screened traditional Chinese
medicine ingredients for molecules that could activate the
telomerase enzyme. One such molecule, TA-65, was found
at low levels in Astragalus, a spiky shrub native to Inner
Mongolia that is used in traditional Chinese medicine to
boost immune function and control blood pressure.
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Through his involvement with Geron, Patton became aware that the company
was shelving its telomerase activator project to concentrate on cancer and
stem cells, so in 2002 he secured exclusive worldwide rights to the company’s
telomerase activators for sale as non-prescription health supplements. In 2007,
after spending five years and millions of dollars on development and safety
testing, Patton opened the T.A. Sciences office in New York City and began
selling concentrated TA-65 in a pill form.
DR MARY ARMANIOS MD
Mary Armanios worked as a post-doctorate researcher in
Carol Greider’s lab from 2003 to 2005. She now runs her
own lab at Johns Hopkins University investigating disorders
associated with telomere shortening (e.g. rare ‘premature
ageing’ disease dyskeratosis congenita and the common
lung disorder idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), as well as
telomere biology in cancer
See
http://humangenetics.jhmi.edu/index.php/faculty/mary-armanios.html
DR ELISSA EPEL
Dr Elissa Epel is working with Elizabeth Blackburn to
investigate the mechanism that links chronic stress with
indicators of poor health such as increased risk of
cardiovascular disease and poorer immune function
(which are also associated with ageing) and early death.
They studied women who care for disabled children or for
family members with dementia, and found that caregivers
with the highest levels of ongoing stress had short telomeres
for their age; in fact, these women’s telomeres indicated
an additional 10 -17 years of biological ageing. Epel and Blackburn are
now
working
on
a
larger,
follow-up
study.
See
also
http://psych.ucsf.edu/faculty.aspx?id=616
DR ANGELA BROOKS-WILSON
Geneticist Angela Brooks-Wilson and telomere expert Dr
Peter Lansdorp, both based in Vancouver, have studied
telomere lengths measured in white blood cells from 134
‘Super Seniors’: Vancouver area residents aged 85 to 105
who have never had cancer, pulmonary disease,
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Alzheimers, diabetes or cardiovascular disease. The Super Seniors were not
found to have especially long telomeres for their age, but as a group they do
seem to have telomeres of a more uniform length. Dr Brooks-Wilson
speculates that the Super Seniors may carry an “optimal telomere length”
that may contribute to disease resistance and promote healthy ageing.
See also http://www.bcgsc.ca/platform/cg/group/people.html
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THE PARTICIPANTS
DAL RICHARDS
Dal Richards is one of the ‘Super Seniors’ studied by
Angela Brooks-Wilson and Peter Lansdorp. He is
incredibly healthy and energetic for his 92-years-ofage, with no signs of cancer, diabetes, lung or
heart disease. He leads a swing band in
Vancouver, splaying around 200 gigs a year with his
orchestra. And in 2010 took part in the Winter
Olympics Torch relay. See www.dalrichards.com.
RAE NEWSOME
Rae Newsome’s cells are older than they should be. His hair went grey at age
six, his bone marrow failed at eight. When his immune system failed to fight off
a fungal infection, his left leg had to be amputated. Now, as a teenager, he
shows many of the classic diseases of ageing, such lung disease and heart
failure. Rae’s condition, known as dyskeratosis congenita (DKC), has been
linked to defects in genes that produce the telomerase enzyme. It seems an
inability to maintain and repair telomeres on the ends of Rae’s chromosomes is
causing his whole body to age prematurely. Dr Mary Armanios is working with
patients such as Rae to understand how this happens, and what might be
done to stop it.
PAULETTE SOLT
Paulette Solt juggles a full-time job with caring for her 100-year-old mother
Alison, who has Alzheimer’s disease, and her disabled brother. She is part of a
study by Dr Elissa Epel into how chronic stress can increase symptoms normally
associated with ageing, such as risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced
immune function.
JACK McCLURE
Until recently, Jack McLure led a career-driven, high-stress lifestyle as CEO of a
string of companies. Then he was diagnosed with ‘low risk’ prostate cancer.
Shunning conventional treatments, Jack turned to Dr Dean Ornish’s program
of diet, exercise, meditation and stress reduction. Ornish and Prof. Elizabeth
Blackburn have been investigating how these interventions apparently slow
ageing of cells in men like Jack, and improve their ability to fight back against
cancer.
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DIRECTORS STATEMENT
The fountain of youth, a marvellous notion and a mythic potion we all want a little of...
but what if it were real?
Over the past five years I followed the work of Liz Blackburn closely. The story seemed
incredible; a woman from Tasmania discovers the secret to eternal youth, and the
key mechanism of cancer’s deadly success. It seemed too good to be true. As I read
the science journals and biology papers, met the experts and sifted through the
hype I realised this was the real thing. Liz had discovered something truly remarkable,
something capable of literally changing the world. And yet, we in Australia had
barely heard of her.
I started to develop the film in early 2007. I also began to place bets that Liz would
be the next Australian to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology. I tried to
meet Liz on various occasions, even flying myself to San Francisco in an attempt to
show her I was serious. But she had no interest in media attention and was not
interested in a film being made. The 2007 TIME magazine label - “one the most
influential thinkers in the world" - made her uncomfortable. She had no desire for
further attention. And she was accustomed to people overselling the anti-ageing
story and not grappling with the deep life/death paradox at its core.
In 2008 I heard Liz was coming to Melbourne, to be guest of Monash University. I
asked a long time contact, Dr Alan Finkel, to provide a personal introduction and, if
possible, recommendation. Thankfully it worked. After a year of trying, Liz agreed to
meet with me, but for 10 minutes only.
When I arrived for our meeting I was fully prepared, having reread her papers and
carefully thought through my questions. But her opening words threw me. “I’m
assuming you know everything there is to know about me. So I want to know about
you. “ She proceeded to interview me! Then at the end of the allocated 10 minutes
she said, Ok if you still want to make a film with me contact my assistant and arrange
a meeting. We were up and running.
One of our first discussions was the title, Immortal. Liz was not keen to highlight the
idea of endless life; the future was about health span, not lifespan she said. But I
argued that the very essence of immortality – cells that can replicate without limit –
was true. And fascinating. I assured her that we would also make the distinctions
clear – it’s not about living forever, it’s about living longer, well. She decided at that
point, in early 2008, to give me her support and her trust.
Having made around 45 hours of documentary, this was a dream come true.
Ageing, stress and cancer - three of the biggest fears of our time - all
interconnected. And, a personal attraction, this groundbreaking work featured an
unusual number of top-level female scientists. I had to make this film.
Sonya Pemberton
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KEY PRODUCTION TEAM
Director: Sonya Pemberton
Sonya Pemberton is one of Australia’s leading documentary writers, directors
and executive producers. She has written and directed over 45 hours of
television, specialising in science documentary for an international market.
Her films have won more than 30 awards and she has been three times
honoured with the prestigious Eureka Prize for Science Journalism (2003, 2004,
2008). From 2004 – 2006 she was Head of Specialist Factual at the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), where she was responsible for the Science,
Natural History, Indigenous, Religion and Ethics, and Education departments.
She managed four weekly primetime shows, five specialist departments, over
100 staff and a slate of 150 hours of programming per year. She also
commissioned 25 hours a year of Independent production and executive
produced key science documentary projects. In 2007 Sonya resumed writing,
directing and executive producing science films and interactive projects for
an international audience. In 2008 she wrote and directed Angels and
Demons with Andrew Denton, in 2009, Catching Cancer for the ABC.
IMMORTAL is her second film with producer Tony Wright.
Producer: Tony Wright
Tony Wright is an award winning and highly experienced producer in
documentary, drama and children’s television production. He has worked in
all these areas with the commercial networks, the ABC and SBS in Australia as
well as the BBC and Nickelodeon in the UK and other European
broadcasters. His credits include: Plasmo (international co-pro), 52-episode
children’s series Li'l Horrors (internationally financed), Grey Voyagers
(international co-production) and Revealing Gallipoli (international co-pro).
Tony largely functions in the company as the hands on producer. Most recent
credits include Producer of the recent Australia/Canada Treaty coproduction Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery and ABC/ National
Geographic Catching Cancer (with Sonya Pemberton)
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DOP: Harry Panagiotidis
Harry has more than 40 Australian and US feature films credits as camera
operator, Steadicam operator and/or 2nd unit DOP. He also works as Director
of Photography on documentaries and factual programs. Married to director
Sonya Pemberton, the husband and wife creative team thrive on tackling
stories of science together.
Editor: Wayne Hyett
Locally produced children’s drama and documentaries have been a
speciality for editor Wayne Hyett A.S.E. His career, spanning more than 24
years, also includes feature films, drama series and documentary dramas for
all Australian Networks and International audiences. Drama credits include
The Castle, The Murray Whelan Series, Stingers, The Games, Wicked Science
and Pirate Island. His documentary highlights include The Kindness of
Strangers, the major ABC series Captain Cook – Discovery and Obsession,
Once Bitten and Catching Cancer. In 2004 Wayne was awarded
accreditation by the Australian Screen Editors Guild “In recognition of
excellence in screen editing and outstanding contribution to Australian
screen culture”.
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PRODUCTION DETAILS
Title
Length
Type
Genre
Writer/Director
Producer
DOP
Editor
Composer
Australian TV Broadcaster
Production Company
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
Immortal
52’30”
Documentary
Science
Sonya Pemberton
Tony Wright
Harry Panagiotidis
Wayne Hyett
Peter Dasent
SBS
December Films
Pemberton Films
CONTACT DETAILS
Publicist
Kerrie Theobald Publicity
M: +61 (0) 417 998 552
@: [email protected]
Production Company
December Films
T: + 61 3 9699 8911
F: + 61 3 9699 8611
@: [email protected]
W: www.decemberfilms.com.au
Level 1/462 City Road
South Melbourne
Victoria 3205
Australia
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