Kino Lorber will release the documentary feature “In Case of Emergency” by award-winning director and photographer Carolyn Jones (“The American Nurse,” “Defining Hope”) with a live virtual premiere on Eventive on Wednesday, October 14th followed by a week of free streaming on its Kino Now service ahead of a wider on-demand roll-out.

This is a documentary that paints a troubling portrait of our ERs stretched to the limit and exposes the extent of our nation’s broken safety net. All of our country’s biggest public health challenges—from COVID-19 to the opioid crisis to gun violence to lack of insurance—collide in emergency departments. Nearly half of all medical care in the U.S. is delivered in emergency rooms and nurses are on the frontlines, addressing patients’ physical and emotional needs before sending them back out into the world. “In Case of Emergency” follows sixteen emergency nurses across the U.S, shedding light on their efforts to help break a sometimes-vicious cycle for patients under their care.

Ahead of its on-demand release, “In Case of Emergency” will have its world premiere at The Boston Globe’s GlobeDocs Film Festival in Boston on October 1st, will screen at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival in Ohio beginning October 6th (with a special drive-in screening October 9th), the Heartland Film Festival in Indiana beginning October 8th (plus drive-in screening October 15th), and the New Jersey Film Festival in New Jersey on October 10th.

“In Case of Emergency” has been selected for inclusion in the 2020/2021 season of the American Film Showcase, the premier film diplomacy program of the U.S. Department of State and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The film will also be previewed at the virtual conventions of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) with a special focus on the mental health of the frontline emergency nurses. The film offers a unique opportunity for people to understand what nurses have experienced and to allow nurses to verbalize what they have gone through during the pandemic and other recent emergency events. Continuing education credits (CEU’s) will be available.

“In Case of Emergency” was filmed in Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont.