OUR STORY
WHAT STARTED AS A DOCUMENTARY BECAME A BOLD POWERFUL MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE, WHICH EXISTS NOW AS THE TIN SOLDIERS GLOBAL FOP PATIENT SEARCH
THE DOCUMENTARY THAT STARTED IT ALL...
Tin Soldiers is an independent documentary film, that shares the deeply personal story of people afflicted with one of the world’s most rare conditions and the search to identify those still living in the dark – the victims whose symptoms defy the understanding of those around them.
A compelling tale of courage set against the backdrop of medical science, this is the story of real life ‘Tin Soldiers’ overcoming human frailty to show that within a body, sabotaged, can surge the spirit of a survivor.
The film travels from the dusty streets of South African townships to Brazil, The United States, the United Kingdom and France, documenting the experiences of patients and their families as they walk differing paths, while sharing a common purpose: to prevail.
Interwoven with the personal stories of challenge and triumph is the narrative of medical science, highlighting the global effort to unlock the mystery that is FOP, as well as the search for those sufferers who remain undiagnosed.
Every now and again a story comes along that, against all odds, demands to be told. A story that grabs you by the heart and compels you to make the impossible possible. Tin Soldiers is one of those stories.
I have the luck of being blessed with the skill of storytelling; of being surrounded by the most incredible team of storytellers – cinematographers, editors, writers and lovers of tales that unearth a human truth.
This story has chosen us to tell it – and tell it we will.
This documentary has a purpose beyond storytelling and art; beyond raising awareness. It could help us find families looking for answers. Beyond a film, Tin Soldiers, could help unlock patients from the terrifying mystery of being afflicted with a disease they don’t understand.
We could potentially change lives in ways we may not ourselves be able to fully understand. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be on this journey.
Odette | Executive Producer and Maker of Films
FROM THE PRODUCERS
The Tin Soldiers documentary has won many international awards
The Tin Soldiers documentary is a powerful tool to highlight the plight of people living with FOP; however, this is just the beginning.
We soon realised there are still thousands of people, living with FOP, who are yet to be diagnosed. So, we established the FOP Global FOP Patient Search organisation in 2020, and our mission began.
A world where FOP and musculoskeletal conditions are recognised and diagnosed early and all patients have the best care possible
To diagnose, as early as possible, people who have FOP or any paediatric musculoskeletal condition and get them the care they need
1. Ending isolation
2. Care
3. Leave no one behind
Ending isolation:
To find people who are living in isolation, without a proper medical diagnosis, who are alone, scared, and not knowing what to do.
Care:
To first educate families and healthcare professionals on do no harm and then connect them to the resources they need; for both medical and emotional support
Leave no one behind:
While finding people with FOP we also find others. We make sure we leave no one with a musculoskeletal condition behind. We connect them too!