Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders

Synopsis: Doctors Without Borders (aka Médecins Sans Frontières) is a medical aid organization that since 1971 has been sending doctors and nurses all over the world, working in over 60 countries to bring badly needed treatment to people whose lives are threatened by either man-made or natural catastrophes. Working in some of the poorest and most devastated corners of the globe, the men and women of Doctors Without Borders are willing to travel wherever they are needed, remaining nonpartisan when working in a nation at war and providing care for all who need it regardless of religious, political, or national affiliation. Filmmaker Mark Hopkins has created a powerful look at this organization and the people who make it work in the documentary Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders. While a large number of medical professionals volunteer to work with DWB, the Paris-based organization accepts only a small percentage, having learned through experience that the demands of working in the midst of war, natural disaster, or an epidemic is more than many of them are able to deal with. And while the film documents the group's many successes around the world, Hopkins and the healers he profiles are clearly aware of the high stakes they deal with, and that doing the right thing is sometimes an uphill battle with fewer rewards than one might hope. Living in Emergency was an official selection at the 2009 Miami International Film Festival.     Source: allmovie.com