Unrest

Unrest is a documentary film about ME/CFS that premiered in January 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival. Jennifer Brea, a patient, directed filming from her sickbed using video conferencing tools. . The film was primarily funded through a Kickstarter campaign which raised $212,962.

The film's previous working title was 'Canary in a Coal Mine'.

'Unrest' premiered in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, in the US Documentary category. Brea won the category U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing.

PBS acquired the US broadcast rights for 'Unrest' and will be shown on Independent Lens January 8, 2018 at 10 PM EST/9PM CNT.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also known as Oscars announced on 7 December 2017 that Unrest was shortlisted as one of 15 films from the original 170 films nominated and advanced for voting for the 90th academy awards.

Awards and fellowships

 * 2013 Paley Center DocPitch
 * 2014 Sundance DFP Grant
 * 2014 Chicken & Egg Grant
 * 2014 Harnisch Foundation Grant
 * 2015 Sundance DFP Fellowship
 * 2015 Good Pitch New York
 * 2015 IFP Spotlight on Documentaries
 * 2016 Fledgling Fund Audience Engagement Fellowship
 * 2016 IFP Documentary Lab
 * 2016 Tribeca Film Institute Network Market
 * 2016 Sheffield Doc/Fest MeetMarket and Alternate Realities
 * 2016 Firelight Media Lab
 * 2016 Sundance Edit & Story Lab
 * 2017 Sundance Film Festival US Documentary Competition

Notable people

 * Jennifer Brea (Director/Producer, screenwriter)
 * Deborah Hoffmann (Executive Producer & Creative Advisor)
 * Lindsey Dryden (Producer)
 * Patricia Gillespie (Producer)
 * Alysa Nahmias (Co-Producer)
 * Kim Roberts (Editor and screenwriter)
 * Emiliano Battista (Editor)
 * Sam Heesen, Christian Laursen (Director of photography)
 * Bear McCreary (Composer)

A list of all those involved in the film has been published.

List of media articles

 * 21 Dec 2017, Unrest – a new film about ME The Hippocratic Post
 * 21 Dec 2017, PBS to air Winter Park filmmaker's 'Unrest' Orlando Sentinel
 * 20 Dec 2017, Stories Cosmopolitan Readers Were Obsessed With in 2017 No. 8
 * 8 Nov 2017, ME - The movie BBC Player Radio
 * 29 Oct 2017, Jen Brea’s Award-Winning ME/CFS Film “Unrest” Discusses Mold Avoidance Issues Paradigm Change
 * 4 Oct 2017, Millions of Women Suffer From a Disease That Virtually Sucks the Life Out of Them — But Doctors Still Don’t Take It Seriously Cosmopolitan
 * 1 Oct 2017, 'Unrest' puts spotlight on disease that affects millions, including Riverside girl, 12 Chicago Tribune
 * 29 Sep 2017, ‘Unrest’ Doc About Chronic Fatigue Making Sure Homebound Audience Has Virtual Access Deadline
 * 29 Sep 2017, Director Jennifer Brea exposes the personal pain of an immune disorder in the documentary 'Unrest' Los Angeles Times
 * 28 Sep 2017, ‘Unrest’ an unflinching look at chronic fatigue syndrome by a sufferer SF Gate
 * 20 Sep 2017, Jennifer Brea Directs and Films 'Unrest,' a Documentary About Her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome The Mighty
 * 20 Sep 2017, Hit with sudden disability, Jen Brea created “Unrest,” won at Sundance and is changing the world. Chicago Now
 * 14 Aug 2017 Unrest: The Hero’s Journey of Jennifer Brea From the Heart Productions
 * 27 Apr 2017, Unrest documents a little understood disease: Hot Docs The Star
 * 1 Feb 2017, Jennifer Brea’s Sundance Winner “Unrest” Acquired by PBS Women and Hollywood
 * 2017, Unrest The Loft
 * 2017, Virtual Arcade 'Unrest' Tribeca Film Festival
 * 2017, Unrest 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival
 * 2016-2017, Unrest List of Articles ME York Community
 * 2016, Jen Brea's 'Unrest' to debut at Sundance Film Festival #MEAction
 * 2014, Interview: Jennifer Brea Talks About Obstacles, Adjustments, and Inspiration ProHealth
 * 2013, 'Canary In a Coal Mine' Examines Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ABC News

Reviews

 * 22 Oct 2017, Unrest review – bracingly inventive and moving The Guardian
 * 21 Sep 2017, Review: ‘Unrest’, a Personal Account of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome NY Times
 * 27 Jan 2017, ‘Unrest’ Review: A Personal Look at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, With Powerful Results — Sundance 2017 Indiewire
 * 23 Jan 2017, Sundance Film Review: ‘Unrest’ Variety
 * 23 Jan 2017, Sundance 2017: ‘Unrest’ Is An Emotional Look At Human Strength Bleedingcool
 * 23 Jan 2017, 'Unrest': Film Review | Sundance 2017 Hollywood Reporter
 * 23 Jan 2017, Jennifer Brea Filmed Her Sundance Premiere Without Leaving Bed — And it Saved Her Life No Film School
 * 26 Jan 2017, Sundance review: 'Unrest' The Salt Lake Tribune
 * 2017, "This is jaw-dropping stuff, made more profoundly disturbing by the fact that so little is known about the disease." ~Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com LAEMMLE

Online presence

 * Official website
 * Wikipedia - Unrest (2017 film)
 * Facebook page
 * Twitter
 * IMDb page
 * YouTube channel

Learn more

 * Wikipedia - Unrest (2017 film)