As Vincent Van Gogh could have told you, migraine is one of the least understood medical conditions. It affects over 300 million people worldwide, three quarters of them women.  There is a documentary film underway about migraine, “The Migraine Project” and not a minute too soon according to many migraine sufferers.

Migraine is a debilitating and extremely painful neurological condition that afflicts many of us but is not visible to the outside world.  Like many other disabilities that are real but are not seen, migraines are not well understood by those who do not suffer from them. Those who are not familiar with migraine easily dismiss it as a ‘bad headache’.  Watch the trailer and you will be captivated, shocked and overcome with compassion simultaneously.

Susanna Styron and Jacki Ochs are award-winning filmmakers who have been working on this project for over two years.  The film is called Out of My Head.  In the film you will hear real life stories of the famous and not famous migraine sufferers also known as migraineurs.  You will learn about the mysteries of the disease and the research being done to solve those mysteries.  Some famous migraineurs are Lewis Carroll, Julius Caesar, Anne Frank, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Jefferson, Vincent Van Gogh, Carly Simon, Sharon Stone, Hugh Jackman, Lisa Kudrow, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, Serena Williams, Charles Darwin, Joan Didion, and the list goes on and on.

In Susanna Styron’s words, “It all starts with awareness. When the general public has a greater awareness, through this film, of the impact migraine has on the lives of millions of people, and the appalling lack of corresponding research dollars available to fight the disease, action and change can begin. Both in terms of understanding and compassion for sufferers, and active efforts to change the funding landscape and get more money funneled into research. That is our mission with the film”.

She continues, “One of the main reasons for making the film is to highlight the need for increased funding for migraine research, and hopefully direct money to it through people getting that message. Funding really should be coming from the federal government, and the film will highlight, among others, activists who are trying to get increased government funding for research. The film will also feature various researchers and the types of research they’re doing — not one specifically, and certainly not all, but an important and fascinating overview”.

For documentary filmmakers, fundraising is the crucial piece to completing any project.  If you know someone who suffers from migraine or if you do yourself, please donate what you can to help this film be completed.

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If you have any suggestions or funding ideas please contact Susanna and Jacki directly at [email protected] or call them at 1(212) 343-0078.

The website is wonderful and very informative.  Go on and browse around.  You’ll be fascinated.

www.themigraineproject.com