UnMasked: We all Breathe

Unmasked is a documentary that candidly explores the experience of this illness in three young South African doctors whose daily lives were turned upside-down with the devastating diagnosis. These brave, resilient women clawed their way up from the depths of despair creating new lives for themselves and helping others in the process. Dr. Zolelwa Sifumba, Dr. Arlette Bekker and Dr. Dalene Von Delft have molded this harrowing experience into a widespread and global movement to end TB, the world’s number 1 infectious killer. They bravely share their stories because they want to change perceptions and ultimately to save lives.
While most cases of TB in South Africa are susceptible to a standard antibiotic treatment and can be cured within a matter of months, the three doctors in this film contracted multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). This is an evolved form of the disease that doesn’t respond to the same classes of antibiotics and must be treated for much longer with a more grueling and aggressive drug regimen. The dark truth is that doctors and healthcare workers in South Africa are six times more likely to contract TB than the public at large. In this moving film, the three central characters open their homes and lives to advocate for better treatment and diagnostics care for all TB patients. Their voices join that of South Africa’s Health Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, who has been instrumental in the fight to get the world to take the threat of TB seriously.
Now, as survivors and activists, Zolelwa and Dalene channel their energy into taking off the mask, removing the stigma, and debunking stereotypes to unveil the truth about TB. Zolelwa was alone in her fight through illness and now wants to use her voice to ensure others they are heard, while Arlette is simply happy to be back in the operating theater. This documentary is a reminder that TB doesn’t discriminate based on class, race or social standing. In Zolelwa’s words, “We are all the demographic, because we all breathe.”

  • Ashleigh Hamilton
    Director
    Carte Blanche, CBS News, NBC Universal, Oxfam, New York Times
  • Emma Watts
    Director
    No Strings Attached, Secrets of the Underground, The Amazing Race Australia
  • Janet Tobias
    Writer
    Unseen Enemy, Memory Games, No Place on Earth
  • Rogger Lopez
    Producer
    Unseen Enemy, Memory Games
  • Janet Tobias
    Producer
    Unseen Enemy, Memory Games, No Place on Earth
  • Minister Aaron Motsoaledi
    Key Cast
    As himself
  • Dr Zolelwa Sifumba
    Key Cast
    As herself
  • Dr Arlette Bekker
    Key Cast
    As herself
  • Dr Dalene von Delft
    Key Cast
    As herself
  • Dr Arne von Delft
    Key Cast
    As himself
  • Kabeer Shaik
    DOP's
    Director of Photography
  • Eaton de Jongh
    DOP's
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature, Short
  • Genres:
    docu-drama, healthcare, lifestyle, Tuberculosis, factual
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 2, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    250,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    South Africa
  • Country of Filming:
    South Africa
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Amira and Alexa 2 and 3.2K
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Private Screening: Global Fund, Global Citizen, Stop TB Partnership
    Johannesburg
    South Africa
    December 3, 2018
Distribution Information
  • DSTV : broadcast negotiations, PSA's
    Country: South Africa
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Airline, Paid TV
Director Biography - Ashleigh Hamilton, Emma Watts

Ashleigh has worked as a broadcast journalist for almost 20 years. Based in South Africa she has produced current affairs, documentary and breaking-news content for Carte Blanche (8 years core content producer/director), CBS NEWS, 60 MINUTES, 48 HOURS, NBC UNIVERSAL (DATELINE, TODAY SHOW), CNN, Channel 4 and the New York Times. She cut her news teeth with CBS News as Associate Producer for Sub-Saharan Africa. Ashleigh was selected as a reporting fellow for the International Reporting Project with John Hopkins University in 2016 and won a scholarship to Sweden’s Uppsala Health Summit in 2017 for her work on infectious diseases in Africa. As a reporter and producer, she has covered breaking news, humanitarian crises, natural disasters and conflict zones in Africa and Asia. She specializes in narrative, docudrama and storytelling. Ashleigh directed UnMasked: We all Breathe, in South Africa for Ikana Health Action Lab.

Emma is an award-winning producer and director with over a decade of experience working in factual television. Most recently she co-directed UnMasked, the true story of three young doctors coming to terms with a diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Emma developed, directed and was the executive producer of No Strings Attached for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and NBCUniversal. This documentary/comedy mash-up screened at film festivals around the world and picked up a stash of “Best Documentary” awards at: Vancouver, Melbourne, Dublin, Bilbao and Berlin digital festivals. Emma has served as Lead Video Producer at NYC’s prestigious World Science Festival and is currently Head of Content at Ikana Health Labs. She has directed and produced content for: Discovery Science, Discovery ID, CNN.com, the New York Times and every Australian network and public broadcaster, including directing two documentaries for ABC1. Emma is currently working with both the Documentary Group and NBCUniversal developing two new half-hour documentary concepts. In her spare time, she is an active member of the NYC-based film collective, Filmshop.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Director’s Statement, UnMasked – Ashleigh Hamilton and Emma Watts
UnMasked is a narrative-driven story of surviving multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Three South African doctors share their story of occupational TB, diagnosis, stigma and treatment through 18-months of harrowing illness and overcoming the challenge of a disease which is as dated as the plague.

When we found out that not only is TB the world’s most deadly infectious killer, but doctors are at very high risk of contracting drug-resistant TB (6X more likely than the wider community) we knew we wanted to raise awareness around this issue. The thought of young, enthusiastic doctors entering the medical profession wanting to save lives, yet having their own lives destroyed in the process, was something we wanted to change and a story that we knew the world needed to hear.

In order to reach the largest possible audience, this film needed to be more than just statistics and facts about TB. We knew that to make real change the audience needed to care about those affected by this disease. We started researching and found there are a large number of doctors entering the healthcare system in South Africa who are affected by this disease. We were immediately struck by their stories of starting out on a journey with the intention of helping the sick and poor, yet having their lives turned upside down and, in some cases, cut short by this brutal disease.

We wanted to dispel the idea that TB is something that only happens to the poor or those affected by HIV, we wanted each audience member to feel: this could be me!

The interviews are the backbone of the film. Ashleigh spent months building solid relationships with these women in order for them to feel comfortable in telling their story in the most brutally honest manner on screen. She felt strongly about revealing the truth of their story and for them to describe how this diagnosis and their medical treatment changed how they felt about themselves before, during and after the TB diagnosis.

It was Emma who carefully dissected hours and hours of interviews and b-roll to weave together a finessed narrative that takes you through the looking glass and reveal who is beneath the mask of our characters. As female filmmakers, Emma and Ashleigh are proud co-directors.

The women in this film express a story of change, a tale of being at the edge of the ledge, and the precipice of creating a new life. Forced to confront their own survival, their possible death and hearing loss, they journey through illness, transcend from doctor to patient and back to doctor, activist or just normality. UnMasked is a showcase of real grappling that illustrates that a disease we all thought belonged to “them” actually belongs to all of us. It is a palpable exploration of understanding that because we all breathe, we are all without masks.

Each woman ventured to the edge of trust, revealing in interview their most vulnerable thoughts. As a result, the power of this film comes from its uncovering of the raw emotion, the confronting resilience and the bravery of these women.

UnMasked is taking the mask off, removing the stigma, debunking the stereotype to unveil the truth about this disease and the harrowing treatment they must endure in order to live. The doctors in this film bravely shared their stories with us, giving us their trust because they want their stories to change perceptions. As filmmakers, we hope this powerful story educates and informs not only medical professionals, but everyday South Africans about TB, ultimately, we hope UnMasked changes lives.