Page 57 - CASA Bulletin of Anesthesiology 2022; 9(3)-1 (1)
P. 57

Vol. 9, No 3, 2022



                   The short, narrative film – based on a true story – follows an older gentleman who lives on his own
               and begins to experience symptoms of a stroke but attempts to push through it instead of calling for
               emergency help. The plot details what led up to this and the tragedy that follows.

                   Liu’s co-director for the film is Jing Zhao, MD, PhD, a neurologist based in Minhang Hospital,
               affiliated to Fudan University in China, and an international scholar at the Center for Global Health at
               Penn. The film is a continuation of their efforts to educate the public on the importance of identifying
               and acting with urgency when it comes to stroke. Their past efforts have included a campaign based
               around identifying symptoms of stroke related to the numbers 1-2-0, the emergency phone number
               used in China that is the equivalent of 911.

                   “While this was shot in Chinese, it has English subtitles, and we are planning to add subtitles
               in other languages,” Liu said.

                   The Health for All Film Festival is in its third year. This year, it received more than a
               thousand submissions. The festival’s goal is to inspire filmmakers to “champion and promote
               global health issues.” Films from 110 countries have been submitted to the festival over the
               years. The juries deciding winners of several different prizes include actresses Emilia Clarke and
               Sharon Stone, and medical experts, such as Ren Minghui, MD, PhD, an assistant-director general
               of the WHO. Winners will be announced in mid-May.

                   Those who view “Wake Up Stroke 120” are encouraged to discuss the film on social media
               using #Film4health.


                   This is not the first time that “Wake Up Stroke 120” has been recognized. Last year, it won
               Best Short Narrative Film and the Humanitarian Award at the 2021 New York City International
               Film Festival. It’s one of many films and videos that Liu and Zhao have put together.


                   “We had a goal to bring stroke-related, lifesaving knowledge to more people in the public
               and raise awareness,” Liu said. “One of the approaches is though artistic work like films. We
               have produced more than 10 short videos, and one of the short videos has been translated into
               more than 30 local dialects.”

                   Liu and his team are also producing a new short video named “Stroke 911” to be used in the
               United States and Canada. Like “Stroke 120,” the film links stroke signs and symptoms to the
               numbers of 9-1-1, prompting people to call for an ambulance immediately when a stroke is
               suspected. The video is currently produced in Chinese with English subtitles to help increase
               stroke awareness among Chinese people living in the U.S. The film is being made in
               collaboration with Xiaobin Li, MD, who completed her residency at Penn Medicine and is now
               a an internal medicine physician in the Philadelphia area. It will be translated into other
               languages for others in the United States whose primary language isn’t English.









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