How to Die: Simon’s Choice 2016 |
 |
|
1 x 90 minutes
Minnow Films for BBC Two |
Simon is a successful businessman with a loving family and large circle of friends whose world falls apart when he is diagnosed with an aggressive form of motor neurone disease and given two years to live. Within weeks of the diagnosis the disease causes Simon to lose the use of his voice. Faced with the prospect of a rapid physical decline, Simon tells his family that he is considering ending his life at a Swiss suicide clinic.
Filmed and directed by award-winning filmmaker Rowan Deacon, and made in partnership with The Open University, this intimate and deeply moving film follows Simon and his family and friends as they grapple with the huge moral, emotional and legal dilemmas around Simon's choice. Their conflicting perspectives unearth difficult questions for Simon which means that his heart-wrenching decision is hanging in the balance until the very end.
Shot against the backdrop of the 2015 parliamentary debate on the Assisted Dying Bill, Simon’s remarkable story explores the complex human questions at the heart of this deeply divisive issue. |
 |
“An intimate and deeply affecting film, a landmark documentary”
The Telegraph
“As an intelligent, passionate debate, the film was first class”
The Times
“This film should be compulsory viewing”
The Independent
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
Grierson
Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme - Domestic
|
 |
|
British Health Journalism Awards
Broadcast Journalist
of The Year
|
 |
|
Medical Journalists Association Awards
Broadcast Journalist
of The Year
|
 |
|
BAFTA
Best Single Factual |
 |
|
Broadcast Awards
Best Documentary Programme |
 |
|
Bulldog Televisual Awards
Best Documentary |
 |
|
Sandford St Martin Awards
Television Category |
|
|
Filmed, Produced & Directed by
Rowan Deacon
Associate Producer
Lizzie Kempton
Film Editor
Ben Brown
Executive Producer
Colin Barr
Production Manager
Robert Ford
Composer
Richard Spiller |
|
|