My Flesh and Blood (film)
Encyclopedia
My Flesh and Blood is a 2003 documentary film by Jonathan Karsh
chronicling a year in the life of the Tom family. The Tom family is notable as the mother, Susan, adopted eleven children, most of whom had serious disabilities or diseases. The film itself is notable for handling the sensitive subject matter in an unsentimental way that is more uplifting than one might expect. It was nominated for and won several awards, including the Audience Award and the Director's Award at the Sundance Film Festival
.
There are six other children of whom we don't see as much due to the constraints of keeping the film to a reasonable length.
Florida Film Festival
International Documentary Association
Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Golden Trailer Awards
Satellite Awards
Jonathan Karsh
Jonathan Karsh is the winner of the Audience Award and Best Director Award from the 2003 Sundance Film Festival for his directorial debut - the highly acclaimed documentary "My Flesh and Blood" that aired on HBO in 2004...
chronicling a year in the life of the Tom family. The Tom family is notable as the mother, Susan, adopted eleven children, most of whom had serious disabilities or diseases. The film itself is notable for handling the sensitive subject matter in an unsentimental way that is more uplifting than one might expect. It was nominated for and won several awards, including the Audience Award and the Director's Award at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
.
Plot
The documentary takes an in-depth at the Tom Family a focus on several of the eleven kids. The film is broken up into seasons starting out with family taking part in Halloween in the fall and ending in the Summer of the upcoming year. The family's unconventional home-life becomes a foundation for the supports, challenges, and successes that they face daily.Cast
- Susan Tom, Mother of the children
- Anthony Tom, who has epidermolysis bullosaEpidermolysis bullosaEpidermolysis bullosa is an inherited connective tissue disease causing blisters in the skin and mucosal membranes, with an incidence of 1/50,000. Its severity ranges from mild to lethal. It is caused by a mutation in the keratin or collagen gene....
- Faith Tom, who survived severe burns as an infant in a crib fire.
- Joe Tom, who has cystic fibrosisCystic fibrosisCystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
and ADHD - Xenia Tom, who was born without legs. The condition is referred to as an congenitial amputee
- Margaret Tom, who has no severe disabilities and assists her mother.
There are six other children of whom we don't see as much due to the constraints of keeping the film to a reasonable length.
Received
Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival- 2003: Audience Award
- 2003: FIPRESCI Prize
Florida Film Festival
Florida Film Festival
The Florida Film Festival, produced by Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida, is an annual international film festival. Showcasing the best American independent and foreign films, the festival has become one of the most respected regional film events in the United States.-Overview:The Festival...
- 2003: Special Jury Award - For documentary feature
International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the...
- 2003: IDA Award - Honorable Mention - Feature Documentaries
Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- 2003: Audience Award - Documentary
- 2003: Directing Award - Documentary
Nominations
International Documentary AssociationInternational Documentary Association
International Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the...
- 2003: IDA Award - Feature Documentaries
Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- 2003: Grand Jury Prize - Documentary
Golden Trailer Awards
Golden Trailer Awards
The Golden Trailer Awards is an annual awards show that honors achievements in motion picture marketing, including film trailers, posters and television advertisements.- Overview :...
- 2004: Golden Trailer - Best Documentary
Satellite Awards
Satellite Awards
The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
- 2004: Golden Satellite Award - Best Motion Picture, Documentary