10-08-2023 2:34pm

On the Heels of its Raucous SXSW Premiere, MTV Documentary Films Drops Trailer for PAY OR DIE Opening in Theaters Wednesday, November 1st with National Rollout to Follow

Anita Johnson-Brown Editor

On October 6, 2023, MTV Documentary Films announced their latest film, PAY OR DIE, directed by Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer. The highly provocative documentary will be released on Wednesday, November 1, to coincide with November National Diabetes Month. The film will open at the IFC Center in New York City, followed by a national rollout. The streaming launch is exclusively on Paramount+ on Tuesday, November 14th, to coincide with World Diabetes Day.

The documentary sheds light on the harsh reality of living with diabetes in America. Almost two million Americans living with diabetes cannot afford insulin due to the soaring costs set by the pharmaceutical industry. This life-sustaining drug has become increasingly harder to access for patients in America. PAY OR DIE follows the lives of families struggling to afford their medications. It highlights the devastating reality of living with a chronic illness in the richest country in the world. The documentary showcases stories like a mother and daughter who spent their rent money on insulin and a young adult diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film also features the story of a Minnesota family who became subject to national media attention when their 26-year-old son died from rationing his insulin. PAY OR DIE serves as a reminder of what happens when healthcare becomes a business, not a service for people's well-being. "This documentary magnifies the brutal pharmacology pricing that demands of the ill and injured that they pay or die!" said executive producer Sheila Nevins.

By Anita Johnson-Brown

PAY OR DIE is executive produced by Sheila Nevins, Trish Adlesic, Sarah Silverman, Amy Zvi, Regina K. Scully, Lauran Bromley, Douglas Choi, Dawn Bonder, Marci Wiseman, Russell Long, Sarah Lucas, and Zak Kilberg. The film is produced by Rachael Dyer, Scott Alexander Ruderman, and Yael Melamede, and directed by Dyer and Ruderman. Ruderman is the cinematographer; Will Rogers is the editor and Toby Shimin is the supervising editor. Music is by T. Griffin.

About MTV Documentary Films

In less than four years, MTV Documentary Films has worked with high-profile filmmakers on timely stories that have already garnered three Oscar® nominations, seven Oscar Shortlisted, a Peabody® Award, two Emmy® nominations, and an Emmy win. The company most recently acquired the deeply moving and profound love story THE ETERNAL MEMORY after it premiered to rave reviews at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Last year, they released Ondi Timoner's LAST FLIGHT HOME, which was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Academy Award and nominated for a Writers Guild Award. Three MTV Documentary Films: ANASTASIA, ANGOLA DO YOU HEAR US? VOICES FROM A PLANTATION PRISON, and AS FAR AS THEY CAN RUN were all shortlisted for Best Documentary Short, and with ASCENSION, the company received its first Best Documentary Feature Academy Award nomination. The film was also nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary in addition to an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Documentary and five Cinema Eye Honors including Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature, Outstanding Direction, and Outstanding Debut. MTV Documentary Films' first film out of the gate was the Oscar®-nominated ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN, followed by 76 DAYS - set deep inside the frontlines of the pandemic in Wuhan - which won the Peabody and Emmy® for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and was Oscar Shortlisted for Best Documentary; the Oscar® nominated HUNGER WARD; Emmy®-nominated FINDING YINGYING; BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING LEFT BEHIND; AMERICAN SELFIE: ONE NATION SHOOTS ITSELF; 17 BLOCKS; A LIFE TOO SHORT; and MY FATHER THE MOVER.

About Paramount+

Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news, and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows, and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, and the Smithsonian Channel.

Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, the service's cornerstone plan, is also home to SHOWTIME® content, including scripted hits, critically acclaimed nonfiction projects, SHOWTIME SPORTS® (including industry-leading SHOWTIME BOXING® ), and films. This premium plan includes unmatched events and sports programming through the local live CBS stream, including golf, basketball, and more, plus streaming access to CBS News Network for 24/7 news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.

MTV Documentary Films - "Pay or Die" trailer

Trailer courtesy of MTV Documentary Films