• yesterday
Directed by Ami Canaan Mann and written by Julia Fisher Farbman, the film stars Natalie Dormer, Jimmi Simpson, Clancy Brown, and Brandon Micheal Hall.

As the growing resistance to the Vietnam War takes to the streets of 1969 Philadelphia, Dr. Audrey Evans (Natalie Dormer) is fighting her own revolution amid the dated, crowded hallways of the world-renowned Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in this empowering true story. The British doctor may be the first female chief of pediatric oncology in CHOP’s history, yet her colleagues appear to withhold deserved respect. She finds herself the only woman in the room, balancing fierce determination with an undeniably tender bedside manner for the families of ill children. When her progressive new treatment methods are at first dismissed, and then nearly sidelined, Dr. Evans embarks on an unforgettable mission that will change the lives of millions of patients and their families. Director Ami Canaan Mann exquisitely captures an era of revolution to the world of medicine and the woman behind it, with Natalie Dormer embodying the playful warmth and passionate resolve of a true hero and co-founder of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

An astonishingly determined woman refuses to take ‘no’ for an answer, and her tenacity changes the world. It’s the late 60s, and a woman can’t get a credit card in her name without a male co-signer. Yet, British spitfire and fish out of water, Dr. Audrey Evans (Natalie Dormer) starts her new job as a department head at one of the top children’s hospitals in the world.

She finds the treatments outdated, the red tape rampant, and the sexism subtle, but thwarting. Yet, as the first female chief of pediatric oncology at CHOP, she is a true iconoclast. Guided by purpose, she became a world-renowned research pioneer and created the first ever staging system for neuroblastoma, the deadliest solid tumor in pediatrics. The Evans Staging System is still the critical foundation for other staging systems, cancer research and trial studies.

In addition to being an extraordinary Fulbright Scholar and racking up countless awards during her six decades in medicine, Dr. Evans also co-founded the global organization, the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). For many children with cancer, Dr. Evans is the reason they survived. And for families experiencing the unimaginable, Dr. Evan’s vision paved the way for RMHC to help tens of millions of families around the world since 1974. The impact she’s had on the women’s movement and in the world of medicine is unparalleled. Dr. Evans is the first woman of oncology and perhaps the Nation’s most significant female physician.

To put it simply, Audrey Evans was an enigma, relating to children often better than adults, and unrelentingly determined to serve the greater good.

Audrey passed away at the age of 97, two weeks into the film’s production, having supported it for many years prior.

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