A Documentary on Celiac Disease
My name is Susan Cohen. I made a documentary on Celiac Disease and the Celiac Disease community titled ”Generation Gluten-Free.” Please visit www.generationglutenfree.com to learn more about the film and watch a trailer. The full documentary, which is 42 minutes, is available on DVD and can be ordered through my website. The documentary was made while I was a student at Barnard College. It was filmed during the summer of 2005 and completed in January 2006. The goal of the film was to document Celiac Disease and the Celiac Disease community. All of the people who were selected to be interviewed in the film had a Celiac story to tell. Whether it was a sharing a personal Celiac diagnosis, discussing the founding of a support group, describing the process of developing gluten-free products, or bringing gluten-free dining to restaurants, I felt it was very important to get their stories on film.
At the time, I was somewhat aware that the community was in the process of evolving from a grassroots movement to the national movement that it is today. However, when you are in the transition, you are not always 100% aware of it. I think watching the film now, I realize that I captured the community as it was developing and changing.
When the film was completed in January 2006, it was premiered at a Westchester Celiac Sprue Support Group meeting and had a very tiny run of the film done and distributed within the community. The run was very small as I did not have the resources needed to do a larger one. By June of 2007, the film had gone into hibernation.
This past Summer I made the decision to do a second, much larger run of Generation Gluten-Free. I realized that Celiac Disease and gluten-free foods are now everywhere in America, and that it was very important to share the documentary with as many people as possible. Not only has the size of the Celiac population in America grown tremendously, but people who do not have Celiac are curious about it and want to learn more.
Although the goal of the project was to document Celiac Disease and the Celiac Disease community, I realized that Generation Gluten-Free can also be used as a tool of awareness and education without being overbearing as the film is very casual, upbeat, and fun. When a viewer watches the film, they absorb information without realizing they are absorbing it. By the time the film is over, you have an understanding of Celiac Disease and how the community came to be in America. Most of the people in the film discuss their path to diagnosis including the symptoms they had. Viewers may recognize themselves and go get tested for Celiac or recognize a friend or relative and encourage them to look into it. Several of the people in the film did not have symptoms that are readily associated with Celiac, so I am hoping this may help people.
Beyond being used as a tool of awareness, the fact that Generation Gluten-Free is upbeat shows people inside the Celiac community as well as outside it, that having Celiac Disease is not a burden, but instead a blessing. I feel very lucky to have a disease that can be managed through diet and I hope the film helps other people feel the same way.
At the time, I was somewhat aware that the community was in the process of evolving from a grassroots movement to the national movement that it is today. However, when you are in the transition, you are not always 100% aware of it. I think watching the film now, I realize that I captured the community as it was developing and changing.
When the film was completed in January 2006, it was premiered at a Westchester Celiac Sprue Support Group meeting and had a very tiny run of the film done and distributed within the community. The run was very small as I did not have the resources needed to do a larger one. By June of 2007, the film had gone into hibernation.
This past Summer I made the decision to do a second, much larger run of Generation Gluten-Free. I realized that Celiac Disease and gluten-free foods are now everywhere in America, and that it was very important to share the documentary with as many people as possible. Not only has the size of the Celiac population in America grown tremendously, but people who do not have Celiac are curious about it and want to learn more.
Although the goal of the project was to document Celiac Disease and the Celiac Disease community, I realized that Generation Gluten-Free can also be used as a tool of awareness and education without being overbearing as the film is very casual, upbeat, and fun. When a viewer watches the film, they absorb information without realizing they are absorbing it. By the time the film is over, you have an understanding of Celiac Disease and how the community came to be in America. Most of the people in the film discuss their path to diagnosis including the symptoms they had. Viewers may recognize themselves and go get tested for Celiac or recognize a friend or relative and encourage them to look into it. Several of the people in the film did not have symptoms that are readily associated with Celiac, so I am hoping this may help people.
Beyond being used as a tool of awareness, the fact that Generation Gluten-Free is upbeat shows people inside the Celiac community as well as outside it, that having Celiac Disease is not a burden, but instead a blessing. I feel very lucky to have a disease that can be managed through diet and I hope the film helps other people feel the same way.
