Our Time Projects is a New-York based documentary production company founded in 2009 by filmmaker Matthew Heineman.
After graduating from Dartmouth College in 2005 with a degree in history, Heineman and a group of friends founded THE YOUNG AMERICANS PROJECT (TYAP), a multi-media undertaking to try to figure out what makes their generation tick. He traveled the country for three months interviewing a wide range of America’s youth and, in the process, fell in love with filmmaking.
After six months at NBC sports, he was hired by HBO in 2007 to work on THE ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT, an Emmy-nominated documentary series that premiered in May, 2009. In addition to his work on two one-hour films exploring the human and scientific sides of this devastating disease, he co-produced the Supplementary Series of short films for the project.
In 2011, Heineman's work on TYAP culminated in the commercial release of OUR TIME—an hour-long documentary about what it’s like to be young in America—on the Documentary Channel, Amazon, and Hulu. He has directed, shot, and edited several short films and commercials. Heineman is now directing a feature-length film with veteran documentary filmmaker Susan Froemke about healthcare in America. His photography can be viewed at heinemanphotos.com.
"A must-see! 'An Inconvenient Truth' for the healthcare debate."
– Anthony Kaufman, The Village Voice
"Turns an unwieldy, Medusa-headed topic into a convincingly humane argument for change...This hard-hitting film leaves us finally more hopeful than despairing."
– Jeannette Catsoulis, NY Times Critic's Pick
"Cogent, convincing, determinedly non-ideological, ESCAPE FIRE tells us that everything we think we know about that incendiary topic might be wrong."
– Kenneth Turan, LA Times
SYNOPSIS
ESCAPE FIRE: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? ESCAPE FIRE examines the powerful forces maintaining the status quo, a medical industry designed for quick fixes rather than prevention, for profit-driven care rather than patient-driven care. The film follows dramatic human stories and leaders fighting to transform healthcare at the highest levels of medicine, industry, government, and even the US military. ESCAPE FIRE is about finding a way out. It's about saving the health of a nation.
DISTRIBUTION
ESCAPE FIRE was released by Roadside Attractions (THE COVE, SUPERSIZE ME) in select theaters on October 5th, 2012. Lionsgate simultaneously released the film on iTunes and VOD. For more information, visit: EscapeFireMovie.com
AWARDS
SUNDANCE: Grand Jury Prize (Nominated); Candescent Award Given to One Outstanding Socially Conscious
Documentary (Winner)
FULL FRAME: Human Rights Award (Winner)
SILVERDOCS: Social Issue Award (Winner)
NEWPORT BEACH: Outstanding Achievement in Directing (Winner); Outstanding Achievement in Documentary
Filmmaking (Winner)
HEARTLAND: Truly Moving Picture’s Crystal Heart Award (Winner)
‘A revealing documentary on America’s youth’ – The New York Times, Freakonomics Blog
‘It will challenge your stereotypes of Millenials’ – Fast Company Magazine
America has questions about today’s youth, what we care about, and where we’re headed. We had those questions too. So, after graduating college, four of us loaded an RV and embarked on a journey looking for answers. We traveled to all of the lower 48 states, talking to our peers about growing up, 9/11, race, the Internet, careers, sex, love, and the American Dream. Along the way, we met a wide cross-section of young Americans, ranging from a cancer researcher in Boston to a drug dealer in New Mexico, from an Iraq veteran in Florida to the founder of Facebook in Silicon Valley. The film ultimately leads to the historic 2008 election, where our generation finally stands up to make its voice heard. OUR TIME is a passionate portrayal of a generation, a meditation on coming of age in 21st-century America, and a rallying cry against apathy.
"Humanity ends up becoming one of the central themes of the film, and for all the stats and accomplished physicians the film employs, where it really shines is in the intimate stories of transformation." - Katie Walsh, Indiewire
"In this lucid look behind the scenes at hospitals, doctors’ offices and the most intimate corners of patients’ lives, the shortcomings and ways forward emerge in stark relief." - Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
"'Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare' turns an unwieldy, Medusa-headed topic into a convincingly humane argument for change." - Jeannette Catsoulis, NY Times
"Cogent, convincing, determinedly non-ideological, "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" tells us that everything we think we know about that incendiary topic might be wrong." - Kenneth Turan, LA Times
Director Matthew Heineman joins the conversation during today's guest spot to discuss his documentary ESCAPE FIRE: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare.
"We've been having the wrong debate, and it's time for Americans to start focusing on the systemic problems and tangible solutions, or "escape fires," that are right in front of us." - Matthew Heineman, Director/Producer ESCAPE FIRE
"Before I saw Escape Fire, I thought the problems surrounding healthcare were unsolvable, but the film shows that we have the power to fix this." - Howard Cohen, Roadside Attractions Co-President
"The overall quality of the films in the 2012 Competition section will make for an exciting Festival and a remarkable year ahead for independent film audiences everywhere,” said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival."
“For many of these filmmakers, receiving a grant will be just the beginning of our relationship with them," said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. “We welcome these filmmakers to our community and look forward to working with them to further support and develop their unique visions."
