THE RACE

A young, idealistic Huntington’s Disease researcher comes face-to-face with three generations of a family devastated by the fatal, incurable disease she studies.

For the scientist, who has never met anyone living with Huntington’s Disease, the stakes of her research suddenly become real. For the patient at the center of the story, watching her mother decline, fearing her own future, and worrying for her two children, it is a mother’s plea, and a race against time.

Reflecting on the project, Director, Dina Rudick explains: "The goal was to create a short film that illuminates the connection between researcher and patient. That relationship is usually anonymous and rarely reflects the life-or-death stakes inherent in disease research. On one side, scientists toil for years in relative obscurity. On the other, families - mothers, fathers, children, grandparents - endure suffering and live in fear, hoping each day for treatments or cures. We wanted to bring them together: for scientists to witness the real meaning of their work, and for patients to see the army of brilliant, compassionate people striving to save them."