Directors Rachael Dyer and Scott Alexander Ruderman + Special Guests Attending.
Nearly two million Americans suffer from diabetes, and without insulin they’ll die in short order. And yet, in the wealthiest nation on earth, too many people don’t have the money for regular treatments, devastating families. Directors Scott Ruderman (who has type 1 diabetes) and Rachael Dyer expose the affordability crisis in this stirring–and infuriating–documentary.
Pay or Die chronicles the lives of three families whose daily battles with their disease and the American health care system are destroying their lives. From a mother and daughter who lose their home to having to buy insulin, to a young adult with type 1 diabetes trying to stay alive during the pandemic to a Minnesota family who loses their son when he tries to ration his insulin, Pay or Die shines a harsh spotlight on one of our country’s greatest failings. To live with this disease is already all-consuming, to add a crushing financial burden is inhuman.
Director Biography
Scott Ruderman is an award winning filmmaker and cinematographer who lives with type 1 diabetes. His documentary shorts have screened at festivals throughout America. They include “The Memory Keeper” (2016) and “Piano Craftsman” (2020). Pay or Die (2023) is his debut documentary feature.
Rachael Dyer was born in Australia and is a Canadian citizen based in New York. She is a filmmaker whose work has been seen on Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney, HBO Max, Peacock, Oxygen, Discovery ID, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and BBC. Pay or Die (2023) is her debut documentary feature.