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MTV Documentary Films Acquires Rights To ‘Pay Or Die,’ Powerful Film On Americans “Held Hostage” By High Cost Of Insulin

Matthew Carey
·3 min read

EXCLUSIVE: MTV Documentary Films has acquired worldwide rights to Pay or Die, a heart wrenching film about Americans living with diabetes who face a cruel choice: pay the “extortionate” cost of insulin charged by pharmaceutical companies or risk death.

Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer directed and produced the documentary, which premiered in March at SXSW. MTV Documentary Films plans a theatrical release later this year, followed by a debut on streaming platform Paramount+.

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“Today, nearly two-million Americans living with diabetes are being held hostage by the pharmaceutical industry, as many cannot afford insulin,” notes a release about the documentary. “Without this life-sustaining drug, they will be dead in days. Access to this drug has become increasingly more difficult, as the cost to patients in America soars. Pay or Die follows families struggling to afford their medications and reveals the harrowing reality of living with a chronic illness in the richest country in the world.”

'Pay or Die'
‘Pay or Die’

Those personal stories in the film stretch across the country. “From a mother-and-daughter struggling to rebuild their lives after spending their rent money on insulin, to a young adult diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic, to a Minnesota family thrust into the national spotlight when their 26-year-old son dies from rationing his insulin, Pay or Die highlights this devastating struggle to survive while living with diabetes.”

Doc legend Sheila Nevins, EP of MTV Documentary Films, said in a statement, “This film, in the tradition of documentaries that nudge the world, exposes the astronomical and unconscionable costs of life saving drugs. The big business of Pharma rules over whether the afflicted will live or die.”

Nina L. Diaz and Liza Burnett Fefferman, co-heads of MTV Documentary Films, observed, “Pay or Die plays like a horror film that’s both urgent and harrowing; a must see that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats in utter disbelief.”

Ruderman’s directing credits include the shorts Piano Craftsman and The Memory Keeper. Dyer’s producing credits include Whiter Shade of Terror, Piano Craftsman, and the docuseries (Un)Well.

Directors Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer
Directors Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer

“Knowing that Americans are dying trying to afford the same lifesaving medication that keeps me alive left Rachael and me enraged,” Ruderman and Dyer said. “As filmmakers, we knew we had to highlight this social injustice. Our film, Pay or Die will serve as a cautionary tale for the whole world to understand what happens when healthcare is treated too much like a business and not a public service. We are honored to join forces with MTV Documentary Films to strengthen the voices that need to be heard so change can be made.”

The sale was negotiated by Lance McPherson on behalf of MTV Documentary Films. Paul Szynol of Film Law Group was the legal representative on behalf of the filmmakers and Travis Tammero of UTA represented the filmmakers as their sales agent..

Up next for Pay or Die – it will serve as the closing night event at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York City on June 8. MTV Documentary Films says, in addition to the theatrical release, it is planning a robust awards campaign for the film before Pay or Die launches on Paramount +.

Pay Or Die is executive produced by Sheila Nevins, Trish Adlesic, Sarah Silverman, Amy Zvi, Regina K. Scully, Lauran Bromley, Douglas Choi, Dawn Bonder, Marci Wiseman, Russell Long, Sarah Lucas and Zak Kilberg. The film is produced by Rachael Dyer, Scott Alexander Ruderman, and Yael Melamede, and directed by Dyer and Ruderman. Ruderman is the cinematographer; Will Rogers is the editor and Toby Shimin is the supervising editor. Music is by T. Griffin.

MTV Documentary Films’ slate of award-winning films includes Oscar nominee Ascension, Oscar-shortlisted Last Flight Home, Oscar-shortlisted 76 Days and the upcoming The Eternal Memory, which won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

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