T1D Documentaries: Lights, Camera, Insulin!

Though documentaries often concentrate on common subjects, such as true crime and nature, lesser-known content can be just as stimulating and informative. Here's a deep dive into the world of type 1 diabetes (T1D), which is becoming a seemingly heightened topic of interest due to the diabetes epidemic becoming a global health concern.

5 Best Type 1 Diabetes Documentaries

With the great misunderstanding surrounding type 1 diabetes, especially regarding its differences from type 2 diabetes (T2D), the diagnosis process, and the lifestyle of a T1D, it’s no wonder a few inspired individuals saw this knowledge gap as the perfect space for a documentary. From big-time coverage to YouTube videos, there are several ways in which the truth behind T1D has been brought to light through documentaries. 

The Human Trial

Possibly the most well-known documentary to illuminate the type 1 diabetes epidemic, The Human Trial commands a cure to be found while commending the trial researchers’ painstakingly hard work. Directed by Lisa Hepner and Guy Mossman, the documentary made waves with its raw truth-telling regarding what searching for a cure looks like.

Hepner is not only an advocate for finding a cure but also a woman battling type 1 diabetes. In The Human Trial, she emphasizes the need for a cure by highlighting a clinical trial that details the magnitude of the many adversities those with type 1 diabetes have to face every day that no cure exists. The San Diego biotech company ViaCyte conducted this sixth-ever embryonic stem cell trial.

This profound documentary gives people with type 1 diabetes a voice, as well as their caretakers. In addition to Hepner's struggles, Executive Producer Marla Oringer is a personal advocate and mother to two children with T1D.

The Human Trial is available to stream on many major platforms, such as Apple TV, Google Play, and Prime Video.

Pay Or Die

Those with type 1 diabetes are no strangers to the high cost of living that comes with bearing the disease or even its deadly consequences. Pay Or Die is an emotional film co-directed by Rachel Dyer and Scott Alexander Ruderman, who has LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults).

“Most of my adult life has been defined by one inescapable question: How can I make enough money as a filmmaker to afford the insulin I need to stay alive?” – Scott Alexander Ruderman.

The film hones in on the financial and emotional hardships caused by T1D. It shares the story of a young man, Alec Holt, who tragically passed away due to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a life-threatening complication that arises when the body has a severe shortage of insulin.

Holt was forced to ration insulin due to an inability to afford the lifesaving medicine. Ruderman and Dyer rival the acceptance of the societal norm of high insulin prices by showing how pharmaceutical greed causes real-world hardships and inexcusable pain.

This documentary provides a space for Holt’s mother, Nicole Smith-Holt, and her husband to share their story and advocate for much-needed change. The docudrama was featured at various film festivals, notably the 2023 SXSW Film Festival, where it was initially premiered, and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Today, this documentary can be easily accessed to watch on Paramount +.

Type 1 Diabetes - A Just Like You Film –by Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)

More of a short but mighty YouTube video than a full-blown documentary, Type 1 Diabetes—A Just Like You Film—by Breakthrough T1D tugs at your heartstrings by showing viewers just how caring and crucial a friend can be.

The video shares stories from a series of T1D best friends who explain, answer, and address common misconceptions and questions often posed to the diabetes online community (DOC). The featured shorts’ goal is to break down the barrier between those with type 1 diabetes and others curious about the disease.

Available for free on YouTube, this quick 30-minute video allows young viewers to gain a wealth of knowledge about T1D from those who know it best.

Life for a Child

This documentary, produced by Lilly Diabetes, features three T1D children in Nepal, South Asia. Angi, Ashok, and Anupa, as well as their strong parents, are asked to share their stories and what it means to have type 1 diabetes in a developing country. As many viewers may already be familiar with the trials of T1D, Life For a Child pulls back the curtain on insulin prices and poverty.

Supported by the International Diabetes Foundation Life for a Child Programme, this documentary shows what foundations are fighting for. Lilly Diabetes is one of several reinforcements of the Life for a Child Programme.

This telling tale is available on Hulu.

Safely in the Rainbow

Rounding out this moving T1D advocacy-fueled list is the new documentary Safely in the Rainbow, a vulnerable story that follows a young boy named Pâris throughout his childhood and beyond. The footage used for this documentary spans several years, and it provides an inside glimpse into just how harrowing coming to terms with a lifelong disease can be, along with its impact on loved ones.

The film aims to answer questions others may have about T1D and acts as a space for Pâris to demonstrate his diabetes management methods throughout the years. The film touches on blood sugar levels, glycemic control, and the dangers when blood sugar doesn’t cooperate.

Also, the film’s producer, Wendy Mangeant, is the mother of Pâris. She began creating this film using valuable home videos originally sent to the family. Though set in Europe, this film can be viewed online.

Interesting Fact: Type 2 diabetes also has several shorts, including 3 Teaspoons of Sugar, an animated T2D film featured on World Diabetes Day and throughout November. This documentary is based on the real lives of three family members who struggle with T2D and its complications.

Self-Expression Through Art

No matter whether the child, adult, family, or friend is affected by type 1 diabetes— these feelings, emotions, and experiences need to be shared. Documentaries allow us to glimpse into the lives of those around us and reveal hidden truths.

Though many docudramas thrive off their ability to surprise and shock viewers with incredible imagery and storytelling, there is great value in learning and relating to these heartfelt films. Whether it's a new documentary or an oldie, every advocacy effort toward T1D cure research or beyond is worth watching.