THE LION'S MOUTH OPENS

In this Cinema Eye Best Short Doc award winner, a courageous young Scottish actress takes the boldest step imaginable to confront her risk of having inherited the fatal, incurable Huntington's Disease.

Short Documentary Film
28 min
HBO


SYNOPSIS

This verité documentary is about confronting life’s most daunting moments with purpose and grace, and about the impact of genetic bonds and genetic testing on the people we love and on how we face our destiny. Stunningly courageous young filmmaker-actress Marianna Palka gathers her friends around her as she finds out whether she has inherited Huntington’s Disease, an incurable degenerative disorder which took her father and now has a 50% chance of taking her body and her mind. Intimate, suspenseful, and emotional, with sensitive verité cinematography by Nick Higgins, and with a title taken from the Bob Dylan poem which Marianna recites about Woody Guthrie who died from Huntington’s Disease, The Lion’s Mouth Opens ultimately inspires us to find a new dream no matter what.

AWARDS
premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2014
Winner Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking, Cinema Eye Honors 2015
Grand Jury Award nomination, Sundance Film Festival 2014
Best Short Doc nomination, Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014
Special Jury Mention for Best Short Documentary, Aspen ShortsFest 2014
Finalist, Best Short Film, Ashland Independent Film Festival 2014
Director's Choice Best Short Doc, Rincon International Film Festival 2014
Moving Mountains Prize nomination, MountainFilm in Telluride 2014
Audience Award for Best Documentary Short, Traverse City Film Festival 2014
shortlisted for Best Documentary Short, Academy Awards 2015