What do headaches and movies have in common?
If you are writer, filmmaker, neurologist and founder of East Lansing’s
Michigan Headache Clinic, Dr. Edmund Messina, the correlation is obvious.
“Out primary mission is to help people with headaches,” says Messina, 64 of Haslett. “Everything we do is about that.”
Dr. Messina, who worked as a filmmaker and writer in France before beginning his career in neurology thirty years ago, started merging his two passions about ten years ago by making documentary and educational films. Now, he’s releasing his very first feature-length drama.
Lily’s Mom is the story of a headache sufferer who encounters a series of life obstacles, including an abusive marriage and job loss - issues that can become all the more serious while agonizing through neurological distress.
“It’s about a woman who becomes her own advocate,” says Messina. “Drama is the best way to teach. A teacher should be a storyteller.”
Messina had help on the film from his son, the National Headache Foundation, and a lot of local talent.
“We filmed the movie in Haslett, East Lansing and Lansing using all Michigan actors,” says Messina. “All the music original from Michigan songwriters and singers.”
Lily’s Mom has been submitted to a variety of Michigan and New York film festivals. Messina hopes to attract the attention of a distributer at these events so the film can be available on DVD in the future.
Source: Edmund Messina, MD, The Michigan Headache Clinic
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
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