If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis

Premiered January 10, 2024

Directed by

Ramin Bahrani

With rural hospitals closing at alarming rates, meet the people trying to get help in healthcare deserts.

EXPLORE THE FILM

About the Documentary

Rural hospitals around America are closing at alarming rates, leaving communities without care. Oscar and Emmy-nominated director Ramin Bahrani visits Appalachia, where American communities are left with limited or no access to healthcare. Explore the rural healthcare crisis in the South through the eyes of those struggling in it and the dedicated doctors trying to reach them.

The Filmmakers

Academy Award, BAFTA, WGA and Emmy nominee Ramin Bahrani is the Iranian-American filmmaker of Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, 99 Homes and The White Tiger. A Guggenheim Fellowship winner, his debut feature doc 2nd Chance premiered at Sundance and was released by Showtime. In 2010, Roger Ebert proclaimed Bahrani as “the director of the decade.”

Independent Spirit, Image, and Emmy Award-nominee Jason Orans is a producer of scripted films, docuseries, and documentaries. Projects include: Mafia Tapes for Discovery, Charm Circle and The Great Invisible, Ramin Bahrani's Goodbye Solo, Blood Kin, and Plastic Bag, and Dare starring Emmy Rossum and Rooney Mara.

Pamela Ryan produces documentaries, scripted films, and podcasts. Her projects include: Mafia Tapes for Discovery, Ramin Bahrani’s Blood Kin, Night School, and Margaret Brown’s Emmy Award-nominated The Great Invisible, along with award-winning independent features. Pamela was selected as an Impact Partners Documentary Producing Fellow.

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