73 Cents

Running time: 11 minutes

Can a grieving widow and a stroke of a paintbrush be catalyst for change? Regina Holliday was a wife, mother, painter, art teacher and clerk at a local toy shop in Washington, DC.  But when her beloved husband Fred was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer, she added one more title: patient advocate. Five days after Fred’s death, Regina picked up her paint brushes and began creating a 50 foot public mural detailing Fred’s health care nightmare. It was titled “73 Cents” for the price per page to obtain Fred’s medical record. It was a symbol for the injustices they faced and cost to patients who lack access to their own medical records, for which Regina believes Fred paid the ultimate price.  73 Cents the movie is an 11 minute documentary that tells the story of one woman’s grief, her ability to turn tragedy into change, and her transformation into an influential advocate for patient rights.

73 Cents began production in the summer of 2009, a couple weeks before Regina began painting the mural.  The filmmakers followed Regina extensively  throughout the painting, and then on and off again for the next year and a half.  While Regina’s story could be a feature length documentary, 73 Cents focuses solely on the creation of her first large scale mural in her medical advocacy series.  Since completing “73 Cents,” Regina has been painting canvases, walls, jackets and continuing her advocacy.  More video clips of Regina’s work post “73 Cents” can be seen on the Videos page.

The Filmmakers

Ben Crosbie – Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor

Jamie Crausman – Director, Editor

Tessa Moran – Consulting Producer

Preston Hart – Composer

73 Cents the film and website were funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts