On November 18, 2009, film and television producer Elissa Leonard approached us regarding producing a documentary on vitamin B12 deficiency through our B12 Awareness website. Elissa became interested in vitamin B12 deficiency after learning one of her own family members was afflicted, and then read our first edition of Could It Be B12? She contacted us in November 2009, and is passionate about educating the U.S. about this unrecognized disorder. Her goal is to uncover whatever truths she can find: “Is there an epidemic of misdiagnosis? Do doctors know what to look for and are they looking for it? What is the state of our scientific knowledge? Has the federal fortification of foods with folic acid caused harm and to whom?” She says, “This would be the definitive B12 movie.” Elissa began her interviews in 2010, and we were interviewed on September 24, 2010. Her film is scheduled to be released sometime in the spring of 2011. Elissa has spent years producing and writing a health/science/technology documentary series for PBS called Innovation. She has won two Emmys for her work on Innovation. She was also the Head of Story Development for Explorer, a series on National Geographic Television. She has the contacts and credibility with the right people to get this film aired. We are hopeful this film will create even more awareness and interest about B12 deficiency so more people can be helped. We will keep you posted on our website when and where her documentary will be released.
In the United Kingdom, Kimberley Epton is producing an hour-long documentary on vitamin B12 deficiency and pernicious anemia as well. She began filming interviews in the summer of 2010, throughout the United Kingdom. The documentary includes the stories of many patients as well as interviews with medical specialists regarding this epidemic. We were invited to be interviewed for this documentary, and in mid-December, Jeff and I traveled to London where we were interviewed on December 17, 2010. The B12 documentary is scheduled to premiere in mid to late March 2011, in London. The Pernicious Anaemia Society of the UK hopes to distribute the completed documentary to any interested television stations. Following this, the film will also be available either on DVD or the internet.