"Being Mary Tyler Moore" Ann Arbor Movie Premiere Event

Special Screening of Being Mary Tyler Moore to benefit the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative

Saturday, May 6^th, 2023
6 p.m. EDT screening with panel to follow
Michigan Theater, Main Auditorium
603 E. Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From producers Lena Waithe, Debra Martin Chase, Ben Selkow, and director James Adolphus, BEING MARY TYLER MOORE is the definitive feature documentary that explores Mary's life and vanguard career. As an actor, performer, and advocate, she revolutionized the portrayal of women in media, redefined their roles in show business, and inspired generations to dream big and make it on their own.

MARY TYLER MOORE is a TV Icon and a role model who broke down barriers and opened doors for women around the world. Loved and respected, not just for her accomplishments as an award-winning actress and producer, but because Mary embodied kindness, grace, and compassion. Mary was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a young woman and suffered from diabetes-related vision loss and other complications during her life. For decades Mary played an international leading role in raising awareness of the devastating impacts of diabetes and billions of dollars to support diabetes research. Her dream was to help find a cure for diabetes and its complications, including vision loss, and put an end once and for all to the suffering of millions of people around the world afflicted with this disease.

In her final years, Mary suffered from vision loss due to Diabetic Retinal Disease (DRD) which stole the joy and autonomy from this once fiercely independent woman. While Mary did not make it to see a cure, the legacy initiative known as the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative (MTM Vision) led by her husband Dr. S. Robert Levine, seeks to preserve and restore vision in people with diabetes, continuing Mary's vital work and honoring her important legacy. In support of these efforts, MTM Vision is hosting a special screening of BEING MARY TYLER MOORE at the historic Michigan Theater on Friday, May 6^th. A panel discussion will immediately follow the screening which will include the following filmmakers and ophthalmology experts:

• Dr. S. Robert Levine - Mary's husband, film producer, Concept Creator and Chair Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative
• James Adolphus- Film Director/Producer
• Debra Martin Chase – Film Producer
• Jennie Sun, MD, MPH -Co-Scientific Director, Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School
• Julie Rosenthal – Ophthalmologist, Retina Specialist, Michigan Medicine
• Chris Dallas – Mary Tyler Moore team member and Type 1 diabetic since early childhood

In a first of its kind global collaboration, MTM Vision has brought together leaders and innovators from academia, pharma, bio-tech, government, and the non-profit sectors to work together to accelerate the development of new methods to preserve and restore vision for those at risk for and suffering from diabetic retinal disease (DRD), which is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults worldwide. By establishing and sharing essential scientific resources for the study of human disease, encouraging collaboration and data sharing on a dedicated platform, and supporting goal-driven, science-with-a-mission programs, MTM Vision will lead the movement to create a world without vision loss from diabetes.

The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative is partnering with the University of Michigan's Caswell Diabetes Institute and Kellogg Eye Center, along with the Mary Tyler Moore and Dr. S. Robert Levine Charitable Foundation and JDRF.

Tickets for this special onetime movie screening are available through the Michigan Theater webpage: https://michtheater.org/being-mary-tyler-moore

Dr. S. Robert Levine: With his wife, Mary Tyler Moore, Dr. S. Robert Levine has been a long-standing diabetes research advocate. While Mary used her public recognition, personal experience with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and grace to offer hope to T1D families and build awareness and support for the research and advocacy programs of JDRF, Dr. S. Robert Levine worked to help JDRF build an organization that could handle its rapid growth and expanding influence. Dr. S. Robert Levine helped organize and lead initiatives that built a grass-roots/grass-tops health research advocacy program that is arguably one of the most effective in modern US history.

Dr. S. Robert Levine has led the development of the concept for the "Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative" as a way to honor his wife, Mary -- who suffered from vision stealing diabetic retinal disease -- and her commitment to finding a cure for T1D and its complications.

James Adolphus is a three-time Peabody Award-winning cinematographer and an Emmy^®️ Award-winning director and producer. Adolphus is drawn to creating globally relevant stories that span social, cultural, and political issues. He graduated from the American Film Institute Conservatory and received the prestigious Fisher Fellow Scholarship.

Debra Martin Chase is a Tony Award-winning entertainment industry icon and trailblazer as the first ever African American female producer to have a deal at any major studio. She is also the first African American woman to produce a film that grossed over $100 million. To date, her films have grossed over a half billion dollars at the box office.  

For more information about BEING MARY TYLER MOORE, please contact:

HBO Documentary Films
Hayley Hanson, [email protected] 
Veronica Van Pelt, [email protected]

FRANK PR
Stephanie Davidson, [email protected] 

For more information about the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative, please visit:
https://www.marytylermoore.org/ 

Contact Info:
Susan Carlson, [email protected] 
Eric Carlson, [email protected] 

BEING MARY TYLER MOORE will be released on HBO and HBO Max on May 26^th.

SOURCE Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative