Los Angeles, CA Screening of "The Chaplain & The Doctor"

“A must-see for anyone who cares about healthcare.” – San Francisco Chronicle

Join us for a screening of The Chaplain & The Doctor at the Laemmle Theater Royal in Los Angeles, CA. This past year, the film has completed an extensive film festival circuit, garnering awards and standing ovations across the country. Now the film is coming back to theaters on our national screening tour and impact campaign. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dr. Jessica Zitter moderated by Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO of MLK Community Hospital and Health System.

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About The Film:

Betty Clark is an 80-year-old, African American chaplain on staff at The Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus, the level-one trauma center in Oakland, California. Jessica Zitter is a white, Jewish physician who has been Betty’s colleague on the Palliative Care service for over a decade. The two women are an unlikely team: chaplains and doctors do not usually pair up within the hierarchical and siloed halls of the hospital. Dr. Zitter, trained to believe in medical interventions and science, was not seeking a relationship with a chaplain. And Chaplain Clark never expected the doctor to take interest in her work.

But with time, the two women’s shared values and history overcome the forces that keep them apart, and they go on to do their best work together. Under Betty’s guidance, Jessica begins a journey to understand the barriers and biases that doctors like herself often bring to the bedside.

As Betty starts to face her own health challenges, Jessica takes over her care through a deeply personal lens, witnessing more intimately the experience of patients of color in America’s hospitals – this time, with someone she’s grown to love.

The Chaplain & The Doctor models a new kind of care, one that honors both spirit and body, the diverse backgrounds of patients, and the most human needs we all share.

Thank you to our generous screening supporters:

Supporting Local Sponsor: John & Wauna Harman Foundation

We strive to host inclusive events. If you require wheelchair seating, closed captioning devices, ASL interpretation, or any other physical or digital accommodations, please contact info@reelmedicinemedia.org by June 4th.