After 4 years interviewing nurses for The American Nurse book and film, the most powerful thing that Director Carolyn Jones learned was that Americans aren’t dying very well and we have a really hard time talking about death. We want to change all of that. 

Produced by the same team behind The American Nurse, our feature-length documentary Defining Hope tells the story of a series of patients— in the ICU, a hospice hospital, a pediatric hospital and at home— and the healthcare professionals that help them navigate all of the decisions and hurdles they inevitably face, battling personal and emotional crises, conflicted family members and the fear of technology’s overuse along the way. The film demystifies the dying process and engages the public in an urgent dialogue about our choices and ability to improve the end-of-life experience.