A Man Walks Into a Bar … and Picks up a Superbug

The NPS MedicineWise short film competition #SaveTheScript run in conjunction with Tropfest was held in Sydney last night, with the winners announced. Participants were briefed to make a 45-second film about the threat of antibiotic resistance, and the winning film by OneWay Pictures entitled The Pick Up is an amusing and sexy take on a serious situation.
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Runners up included an animated 'Fight the Antibiotic Resistance' which is sure to pull on the heart strings of any parent, and another animated '10 Million Deaths' lists possible mass-casualty events such as natural disasters and zombie outbreaks before revealing the potential problem and solution that lies in all of us.
“Antibiotic resistance is a serious global health issue that is already affecting our community. Conversations must happen in lots of different places to ensure people understand this threat and our role in preventing it. Short films have enormous potential to reach a global audience and encourage people to think about how they can join the fight against antibiotic resistance,” said NPS MedicineWise Managing Director Dr Weekes.
The collaboration between the not-for-profit organisation and film competition was an industry first and judges were enthusiastic about the campaign.
Judge Lindsay ‘The Doctor’ McDougall, guitarist with Frenzal Rhomb, said about the competition overall, "I'm a little ashamed to say that before I was asked to judge this competition, I didn't know much about the very real threat of antibiotic resistance. Now because of it I got to learn something really important, with a whole bunch of very talented writers, animators, directors and actors as my teacher."