Public figures, in the end, depend for their legacy on the unknown people whose lives they affected.

In South Africa 1969 I joined a delegation of Christian students from Wits University on a trip to the University of the North at Turfloop, a three hour drive north of Johannesburg. It was a so-called tribal college, the result of the apartheidisation of the Universities. We had planned a day of prayer and discussion about Christianity and Apartheid.

The day started with a service. During the first hymn the police burst in. Women screamed. We were all arrested, about 30 black theological students and eight white students. We were charged with a breach of the General Assemblies Act, which made illegal any gathering of the races for political discussion and for being on Bantu Trust Territory without a permit. At the age of 18 I was accused of being a political criminal.

We were escorted back to Johannesburg in a police convoy. On the way back we passed a forbidding looking building my companion, Jeannette Curtis, described as Pretoria Central. "Winnie Mandela is in there," she said, " and its her birthday" We sang Happy Birthday Winnie. I was too embarassed to ask her who Winnie Mandela was.
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The documentary "Madiba; the Life and Times of Nelson Mandela" has been chosen by the Canadian astronaut Dr Robert Thirsk as one of 5 he will take to the space station in May. Madiba was made by Robin Benger for Mark Starowicz and the Life and Times crew at the CBC Doc Unit.

"I like the fact that Dr Thirsk will be travelling on the Soyuz, a Russian craft, as the Russians were the only world power to support Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress in the bleak early days of the struggle against apartheid. Also, Mandela, who may not be here on earth with us much longer, deserves a place among the stars. Perhaps if all goes kerblooey here on earth some alien entity will discover the doc, play it, and start all over again the Mandela way, with love, forgiveness and respect for all."(Robin Benger)

'Madiba' has been broadcast all over the world, and won a Gemini for best music, a Gabriel, and awards at the New York and Chicago film festivals. The Globe and Mail described it as the best Life and Times ever.

Documentary Description

BRUCE DEMARA - ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
"Ever since a blue pill called Viagra started getting a rise out of men – and became a billion-dollar pharmaceutical "blockbuster" in the process – it was just a matter of time (and scientific engineering) before a drug to enhance or restore the flagging libidos of women would be developed."

Pharma Sutra, a documentary by Cogent/Benger Productions (airing on CTV Saturday at 7 p.m.) takes a broad, almost clinical look at the issue: the multinational pharmaceutical companies, the approval process, the "sex" doctors, the feminists and, most important, the women and their spouses.

Documentary-maker Robin Benger said the film raises a raft of ethical issues. It all started with a statistic reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1999, which said that 43 per cent of women suffer from female sexual dysfunction.

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The Race for the Next Great Sex Drug is on in PHARMA SUTRA, the CTV Documentary to be aired Saturday, December 6 at 7pm EST.
The compelling one-hour documentary takes an in-depth look at the debate surrounding the multi-billion dollar race to approve the first female sex drug.


Toronto, ON (November 13, 2008) – Ten years after the introduction of Viagra, pharmaceutical companies are on the verge of introducing a new sex drug for women. But is “female sexual dysfunction” a reality – or a brilliant marketing ploy? In the new CTV Original Documentary, PHARMA SUTRA, Toronto filmmakers Marion Gruner and Robin Benger follow the multi-billion dollar race to produce the next “female Viagra.” Airing Saturday, December 6 at 7 p.m. ET on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local listings), meet the doctors, critics, pharmaceutical reps and, of course the women, who debate the merit of treating low libido.

In 1999, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that stated that 43% of women suffered from Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). Some critics opposed the notion of labelling a woman’s sexual problems as a “disease,” viewing it as another ploy by the drug companies to profit off of a “cure.” Others believed that sexual dysfunction is a genuine concern for millions of women and that medical intervention can help.

With FSD identified, the pharmaceutical companies have poured billions of dollars into research to come up with the winning formula that will allow women to attain sexual satisfaction. In the running for FDA approval are a nasal spray, a skin patch and a daily pill, each formulated to supercharge women’s sex drives. While the pharmaceutical companies behind these drugs attempt to get approval, some women would give anything to boost their libido.

PHARMA SUTRA follows a trio of women considering taking these drugs: a 50-year-old empty nester, a grandma battling a depleted libido who's looking to maintain her youth and a mother in her 40s looking to revive her marriage.

With these new sex drugs on the horizon, PHARMA SUTRA looks at the forces surrounding this hot-button issue, including the controversy surrounding FSD, women with genuine libido concerns, doctors supporting the need for these products, the pharmaceutical companies spending millions on the competing drugs and the increasing problem with unauthorized labs producing female libido boosters and selling them on the Internet.

PHARMA SUTRA is written and directed by Marion Gruner and Robin Benger, and was produced and developed by Cogent/Benger Productions in association with CTV Inc. Bob Culbert is Vice-President of CTV Documentaries. Robert Hurst is President of CTV News and Current Affairs. Susanne Boyce is President, Content, Creative and Channels, CTV Inc.

For more information, contact:
Beth Lockley, Publicist, CTV Inc., 416.332.4583 or blockley@ctv.ca
Cynthia Amsden, Cogent/Benger Publicist, 416.910.7740 or roundstone@gmail.com

How To Stop A Hurricane took the 2008 Pariscience film festival by storm. Part human drama and part technological exploration, How To Stop A Hurricane is a fantastic science thriller about one of nature’s greatest forces, and Man’s attempt to contain it. The film uses an imaginative mix of computer animated scenarios and live action to “test” the theories of inventors and experts. This garnered it “The Innovation Middle Schooler’s Prize” at this year’s Pariscience film festival, the international festival of scientific films which takes place every autumn in Paris, France. And middle-schoolers have got to be the toughest audience there is.