|
|
|||
THE
NATIONAL MS SOCIETY...ONE THING PEOPLE WITH MS CAN COUNT ON news bulletin 
Dateline: October 12, 2000 Mercy Street Opens Atlantic City Film Festival with Benefit for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society There
Are Some Choices That No Family Should Have To Make! "Mercy Street" is a modern love story that doesn't shy away from tough issues that challenge couple who, when they marry and pledge their eternal love "in sickness and in health," cannot even conceive what the impact of a chronic illness might mean on a life partnership. The film will, and should, prompt much discussion in the MS community about new treatments and alternatives available to the individuals who are diagnosed hourly with this chronic, frequently disabling disease of the central nervous system. The choices made by Peter and Annie in "Mercy Street" will touch some and anger others but they are choices being made in thousands of families coping with MS everyday. Bringing "Mercy Street" itself to the screen is a story not unlike "The Little Engine That Could." Writer, Producer, Director, Alle Ghadban believed in the story and believed in his wife, Deana Payne's, ability to make the leading character of Annie come alive in the viewer's eyes. He also didn't believe in the word "impossible." Inspiring the commitment of craftspeople, talent, and suppliers, the project received more than $1 million in donated materials and services allowing Ghadban to produce a full theatrical feature film for the astonishing financial outlay of under $40,000. Alle Ghadban was well on his way to becoming a successful actor and stand-up comedian when his wife, Deana, gave him the script to the play "Another House on Mercy Street." It captured his imagination and his heart and he set about turning the property into a film. Ghadban's taste for filmmaking has also expanded to the small screen where he wrote an episode for "Seinfeld" and "Friends." His second screenplay has already elicited interest from several major companies. Founded
in 1946, the National MS Society is devoted to ending the devastating
effects of multiple sclerosis. The MS Society works to achieve that
mission by supporting research to find a cure, cause and effective
treatments for MS; by finding ways to improve quality of life for
individuals with the disease and their families; by helping to preserve
and secure the civil rights of those with disabilities; and by providing
education and information to people with MS and the professional medical
community who serve them. The MS Society supports more MS research and
provides more programs for people with MS and their families than any
other MS organization in the world. For information about MS or the
National MS Society, please call 1-800-FIGHT MS or visit the MS Society's
web site at www.nmss.org. |
