Starzl documentary debuting at Silicon Valley film fest
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Most residents of Pittsburgh know about the late Thomas Starzl, the pioneer in organ transplantation with a long list of medical firsts.
They include the first successful liver transplant in 1967, development of the mainstay immunosuppressant drug (tacrolimus), and various new surgical techniques. In the process, he faced criticisms and accusations, with a federal grand jury convened in 1985 to investigate him and current-day UPMC Presbyterian, with no charges ever filed.
Dr. Starzl, however, remains largely unknown worldwide despite being described as “the greatest surgeon of the 20th century” and “the greatest figure in the history of transplants.” Now that could change. An 88-minute documentary, “The Burden of Genius: Dr. Thomas Starzl’s Journey Into Organ Transplantation,” will premiere Friday with three subsequent showings at the Cinequest Film & VR Festival in San Jose, Calif., a Silicon Valley film festival regarded for choosing films that feature artistic innovation and technological invention.
The documentary fit that bill because Dr. Starzl took the “stuff of science fiction and made it reality,” the film website says.
The San Jose Mercury News describes “Burden of Genius” as an absorbing documentary — “a fascinatingfilm exploring a brilliant doctor’s fearless drive, along with addressing his doubts and the hardships he endured at the hands of his critics.”
Laura Davis, the Squirrel Hill native who co-produced the documentary with Carl Kurlander of Steeltown Entertainment Project, said it’s drawn such positive early response “that Cinequest moved our premiere to a larger theater, and we managed to sell it out.”
Tjardus Greidanus, who filmed, wrote and directed the documentary, first met Dr. Starzl while filming Mr. Kurlander’s 2008 documentary, “My Tale of Two Cities,” with oneof those cities being Pittsburgh.
He said he had 50 hours of interviews and archival footage, along with many photographs, that became “a living, breathing animal” he had to edit down to a narrative that pitted his major medical achievements against “the cost of doing this kind of pioneering, scientificwork on him and his family.”
“I think in the end, you try to keep boilingit down with that premise underneath,” said Mr. Greidanus, a resident of Los Angeles. “That’s the glue thatholds it together.”
A Pittsburgh premiere in coming months is still being scheduled.
In a prepared statement, Cinequest director Michael Rabehl said that the festival “always seeks to celebrate stories about mavericks in any profession.”
“We were fascinated by Dr. Thomas Starzl’s brilliance, and in his belief that he could change the world,” he said. “And, he did change the world, for the better.”
Ms. Davis said she spent 12 to 15 hours interviewing Dr. Starzl, who was initially reluctant but ultimately agreed to be interviewed with no topics barred. Those interviews were timely, given his death on March 4, 2017, at age 90.
“He dedicated his whole life to championing collective progress of mankind against diseases but was accused of criminal behavior and investigated by a federal grand jury,” she said. “This movie is a reflection on the sacrifices he made to give humanityan unimaginable triumph.”
Liver transplant recipients including rock musician David Crosby and writer Larry Kramer are included in the film, with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Pittsburgh native David McCullough among the 37 people who provide commentary about Dr. Starzl’s life.
Ultimately, the filmmakers say, “Burden of Genius” strives to capture Dr. Starzl’s self-described approach to tackling transplantation science by “ignoring the bullets and achieving the impossible.”