Filmmaker Brian Tilley’s eight-part series highlights the work being done by global health workers in different parts of the world to eradicate diseases. He chats with Pallavi Gupta about his research on leprosy in India
Facts, figures and case studies related to various diseases across the world are easily available. But what mostly remains hidden from the masses are the stories of health workers who tackle deadly diseases and conditions that afflict poor people. This perhaps was one of the reasons that filmmaker Brian Tilley decided to do the series lifelines: The Quest for Global Health to be aired on Al Jazeera English.
The eight-part series highlights the work done by the people on the frontline of public health. From Philippines to Pakistan, Uganda to South Sudan, India to Senegal, Brian presents stories of the people who are working to prevent, control or eradicate Guinea worm, leprosy, malaria, maternal and neonatal mortality, polio, rabies, river blindness, schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia or snail fever) and trachoma.
“The concept behind lifelines was to find stories around diseases that should have been eradicated but have not for social, medical or other interesting reasons. Within this, we wanted to find positive stories of health workers on the ground facing daunting odds and managing to make a difference to ordinary peoples’ lives,” shared the filmmaker, who has won several accolades for both his fiction and documentary film work.
Immense research was required to put facts in place. For each part of the series, Brian researched a disease and linked that to a country and often to people working on the ground in the health sector.
It was most important for him to find characters around which he could tell stories. He was fortunate in most cases to find people who were inspiring.
In India, Brian filmed an episode on leprosy. He shared, “Working in India was great on every level. We had help from lepra India. We went to places we otherwise would have never thought of going to. Doing an episode on leprosy in India was, in a certain way, easy because India is a place where there are a lot of extremes and extremes make good stories. Wherever we went we found people doing amazing work without any fuss. Health workers, doctors, counsellors from even small towns like Munger are working against all odds to eradicate diseases. I came across Rajni Kant Singh who is the lepra state co-ordinator in Bihar. He is one of those indefatigable characters around whom a lot happens. Spending a week with him in the villages along the Ganges, as he visited referral centers and checked on the work being done for people affected by leprosy, was a privilege. It gave us an access to health workers and leprosy colonies.”
Tilley’s work revolves around social and political issues and seeks to create awareness in society. His award winning works include Fruits of Defiance, Parklife Africa, In a Time of Violence and lucky Day.
“I have made documentary and fiction films. But it is the former that mostly interests me, probably because there are so many fascinating, compelling stories from around the world, waiting to be told. The advantage of making documentaries is that you meet people who might help you change your perception on life,” said Brian.
Brian grew up under the Apartheid in South Africa and started making movies about the resistance movement. “Initially, as a young person in South Africa, this felt like a vocation, something we had to do, rather than something we chose to do. Making a documentary then seemed like part of coming to terms with the absurdity and injustice of our country,” he added.
He revealed that a good filmmaker is one who is extremely sensitive to what is happening around and who has the urge to tell striking stories. “Sometimes stories can be about society, politics or issues, but it should be something you enjoy,” he said.
About his future ventures, the director said, “After a series like lifeline, that takes a lot of time and energy, doing anything seems like starting from scratch. But I have options, I may start working on my other documentary.”