The Motion Picture

Big Doc is about a man who gives his life to solve a problem that is taking the lives of others.  He's a doctor during the Great Depression who takes on his state's political establishment and a powerful Real Estate developer to fight a malaria epidemic by seeking scarce federal relief funds to drain mosquito habitats.  The story is as relevant today as in 1933 when the story takes place.  Malaria continues to be one of the three deadliest diseases worldwide. 

The doctor's patients are mostly poor farmers that other doctors won't treat because they pay with produce.  His patients lovingly call him Big Doc.  He role models for us that sometimes it is more important to sacrifice one's personal interests for the welfare of others.  

The primary conflict in the story is the political struggle and the malaria problem, but Big Doc is also conflicted as a father.  While he's being magnanimous on behalf of the larger community, he can't fulfill the dreams of his oldest son and daughter who want to attend medical school and a music conservatory.  He's an Addicus Finch kind of character and the motion picture will be a To Kill a Mockingbird kind of film. 

Beth Brickell scouting locations on
North Little Rock's historic Main Street.

The Arkansas Humanities Council gave Luminous Films a grant to option the rights to the novel and to develop a screenplay of the material.  The screenplay adaptation, written by Beth Brickell, won a "Best Feature Screenplay" award in a screenplay competition at the Los Angeles Moondance Film Festival in June 2006 out of more than 5,000 submissions.  

Principal photography for the motion picture will take place in central Arkansas and post-production will occur in Los Angeles. 

Lead actors and key production personnel will be brought from Los Angeles.  Other actors and crew members will be from Arkansas.  Film students from both the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Central Arkansas will work on the production as interns.

Expected MPAA rating is PG.

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