AIDC 2024: Life imitates art for SBS director

If you recently saw the Australia Uncovered documentary on SBS Last Chance to Save a Life, spare a thought for director Emma Watts.

The Genepool Productions doco, which aired last month, centered around deadly antibiotic-resistant infections, and how a new hope is emerging from the unlikeliest of sources: viruses themselves.

The doco followed patients, doctors, and scientists in real time as they experience the extraordinary potential and challenges of an elusive therapy, known as ‘phage therapy.’

But this week SBS Factual Commissioning Editor Bernadine Lim revealed to an audience at the Australian International Documentary Conference, production took an unexpected turn.

“It was life imitating art,” Lim said.

“The director got the superbug. She’s fine, by the way. She got a superbug during post-production. I can see some jaws dropping….

“The doctor had to call to get her out of the edit suite.”

That’s going above and beyond in the call of storytelling.

Good to know she is ok.