How does a poor kid from tiny Alice, Texas grow up, go to a top research university, patiently pursue a new treatment for cancer that all the experts call crazy, and end up leading a revolution in cancer therapeutics that has already saved countless lives? Oh, and somehow manage to play harmonica with Willie Nelson and win a Nobel Prize too?
That's the glorious story of the hit documentary "Jim Allison: Breakthrough." The Washington Post named it one of the top 10 movies of 2019 and earlier this month, it hit the top 5 on Apple TV. The film is available for streaming on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play and Vimeo.
"A feel-good movie about cancer?" writes Washington Post movie critic Ann Hornaday. "Against all odds, Bill Haney's documentary about Jim Allison — who last year received the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work using immunology to treat cancer — might be the most cheering film of the year."
Allison earned a B. S. in Microbiology (1969) and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (1973) from UT Austin. His Ph.D. advisor and current professor emeritus at UT Austin, Barrie Kitto also appears in the film. Want to learn more about Allison's life and work? Check out our podcast interview with Jim Allison.
The Dean's Scholars Student Association will be hosting a visit by Dr. Allison on the UT Austin campus this spring on Thursday, April 23 as part of their Distinguished Lecture Series.
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