‘A Tiny Spark’ focuses on research being led by Dr Karen Doyle, which involves analysis of removed blood clots to see what information they may yield. This is the first study of its kind in the world and is an international collaborative study between NUI Galway, hospital partners in Beaumont Hospital and throughout Europe and the Mayo Clinic, USA. These little bundles of cells could carry a wealth of information, which could point to big improvement to people’s lives. In the film we meet three incredibly brave stroke survivors who show us that it is sometimes the little things that people miss in life after a stroke, or the small victories during recovery that mean so much.
Directed by Niamh Heery and produced by Caroline Kealy, with a mixture of dramatic first person accounts and beautiful animation sequences by Eric Dolan highlighting the functions of the various parts of the brain, A Tiny Spark is a film about science’s ability to affect real change for human life. A Tiny Spark focuses on stroke and cerebrovascular research being led by Neuroscientist, Dr Karen Doyle from CÚRAM and Galway Neuroscience Centre in NUI Galway, which involves analysis of removed blood clots to see what information they may yield.
‘A Tiny Spark’ is the recipient of the 2018 Science on Screen commission from CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices based at NUI Galway and Galway Film Centre. It has scooped two international awards to date – Best Medical Short at Sci On! Film Festival in Nevada and Humanitarian Award for Short Film at DOCUTAH – and screened at festivals all over the world. A Tiny Spark was broadcast on Tuesday 29 October on RTÉ One.
Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM said:
These stories, narrated through our Science on Screen documentaries, show the real challenges that people face when living with chronic illness but also how we are trying to address them here at CÚRAM, to improve quality of life for all.
Screenings:
12/18 Pálás Cinema, Galway, Ireland
3/19 Oregon Documentary Festival
5/19 Rua Red, Dublin
5/19 Sci On! Nevada – Winner: Best Medical Documentary
5/19 Scinema Australia
9/19 DOCUtah – Winner: Humanitarian Short Award
10/19 Oaxaca Film Festival, Mexico
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