The Unconditional is an unflinching look into the lives of two undiagnosed special needs kids and their parents as they grow older with no answers in sight.
The Krakowiak family faces the everyday struggle of having a special needs child with an undiagnosed disease. Twice. Best friends since age 15, Heath and Mariel have two young children that have been through the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program. Each child has had their full genome sequenced without answers or a diagnosis; only two individual genetic mutations. Without an official diagnosis or "box to check" they receive less government funding for their therapies, and are forced to apply for grant funding to supplement significant out of pocket costs.
Every day is a challenge as Colbie (8) and Lleyton (5) navigate their way through the world in a way we can’t fully understand. Their brain scans are perfectly normal, but they suffer from a debilitating disorder that has prevented them from ever speaking a word or taking an unassisted step. They lack fine motor skills and struggle with structural issues as they grow older and bigger. And sadly, there is no way for them to reciprocate the unconditional love bestowed upon them by their family.
The film has now been viewed over 2 million times across YouTube, Vimeo, United In-Flight and festivals.
Official Selections:
2018 Cleveland International Film Festival
2018 New Haven Docs
2018 Heartland Film Indy Shorts FINALIST
2018 HollyShorts Film Festival
2018 Coronado Island Film Festival
2019 Flickerfest Australia WINNER (Oscar Qualifying)
2019 Short. Sweet. Film Fest WINNER “Best of the Fest”
2019 AmDocs Film Festival
2019 Omaha Film Festival
2019 Reelabilities Film Festival New York
2019 Short of the Week (May 10th, 2019)
2019 Atlantic Selects
AWARDS:
2019 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominee
2019 IDA Awards Shortlist