NEW YORK, New York, August 18, 2010 – Ever wanted to ask a blind person with a cane or dog just how they were able to navigate a busy city? Well, you can get the answer to that question and many more in GOING BLIND, a unique film which takes us into the secret world of the blind through personal stories. The film, directed by award-winning director Joseph Lovett will start its theatrical run October 8, at NY’s Quad Cinema and run through World Sight Day, October 14, 2010. 

Lovett conceived the film when he realized he was losing his sight to recurrent glaucoma. The situation seemed quite dire and he turned to others dealing with the same issues and realized there was a compelling universal story here.

“A huge percentage of visually impaired people sit alone in their rooms afraid to venture out,” commented Lovett. “This is a true crime and much of this happens simply because their doctors did not take the next step and suggest other avenues of treatment such as low vision therapy. It is not the doctor’s failure if a patient loses vision…. not referring patients to Low Vision Therapy is the real failure,” he concluded.

Patiently shooting and editing for five years, Lovett follows the compelling progress of people such as Steve Baskis, an Iraq war veteran who lost his sight to a road-side bomb attack and Jessica Jones, an art teacher with Diabetic Retinopathy. The filmmaker weaves their stories with his own, and learns how low vision therapy and new technologies can create a roadmap of hope while battling blindness. 

Although GOING BLIND is a story about coping with vision loss, it is really a story about coping with any adversity life deals you. As Jessica Jones says in the film “You learn how to use what you have.”

Going Blind’s personal reporting style is based on Lovett’s “Cancer: Evolution to Revolution,” the Peabody award-winning film he produced and directed that began HBO’s health outreach initiative.

Major supporters of GOING BLIND include: The National Eye Institute (USA), Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation, Pfizer Ophthalmics, The Allergan Foundation, Allene Reuss Memorial Trust, and The Gibney Family Foundation.

Lovett is a veteran news journalist and producer, concentrating on health and social issues. He broke AIDS as an investigative story at ABC News’ 20/20 where he worked for ten years. Additional credits include “Fat Like Me,” a report on childhood obesity for ABC, “Coming Home” for the Hallmark Channel, “State of Denial” about AIDS in South Africa for PBS, “Three Sisters: Searching for a Cure” focusing on a family dealing with ALS for HBO and “Cancer: Evolution to Revolution” for HBO. The Emmy-nominated filmmaker has been honored with The Peabody Award, The Christopher Award and numerous awards from cancer advocacy organizations. Lovett produced the first in-depth AIDS investigation for national television and his continuing work against AIDS won him the AIDS Action Foundation AIDS Leadership Award.

GOING BLIND is part of a major outreach effort to raise awareness through several platforms, including the development of an online education tool kit, sponsored panels hosted by prominent vision leaders, and much more. The toolkit and more information can be found at www.goingblindmovie.com

GOING BLIND is written and directed by Joseph Lovett and produced by Lovett and Hilary Klotz Steinman. The editors are Jason Szabo and Jamie Hogan with Logan Schmid as the associate producer. Principal Photography was completed by Matthew Akers.

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