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Deep Dive: Dying to Live (2020)

Film Lens

Dying to Live
Dying to Live is an Australian documentary directed by Richard Todd that focuses on the organ and tissue donor registration crisis in Australia. It presents personal stories of donors and recipients from Victoria, Western Australia, and Queensland, illustrating the human impact of the organ shortage. The film includes the story of Allan Turner, whose daughter Zaidee became Victoria’s youngest organ and tissue donor at age 7 after suffering a brain aneurism. The documentary was produced by Richard Todd and Ben McNeill, with filming taking place across multiple Australian states. It commenced production in late 2015 and was completed in December 2017. The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2018 and was released in cinemas across Australia in October 2018.

Why Watch

  • Meet Zaidee Turner, Victoria’s youngest organ donor.
  • Find out why Australia lags in donor registrations.
  • See personal stories from organ recipients across Australia.

Did You Know

Australia has lower organ donor registration numbers compared to similar countries.
Zaidee Turner became Victoria’s youngest organ donor at age 7 in 2015.
Filming for Dying to Live was completed in December 2017.
The film was shortlisted for a 2018 AACTA Award.

Perfect For

Organ donation awarenessAustralian healthcare issuesPersonal donor stories