Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien

Year: 1996

Runtime: 35 mins

Language: English

Director: Jessica Yu

Documentary

Directed by Jessica Yu, this 1996 short documentary follows Berkeley journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, who lived with the constant need for an iron lung after childhood polio. It delves into his spiritual struggle with disability, his writings, and his legacy. O’Brien died in 1999 from post‑polio syndrome. The film won the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject at the 69th Academy Awards.

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