Body of Work Night Three: The Waiting Room by Peter Nicks

The Waiting Room 
(USA, 2012, 81 minutes)

Shortlisted for the Oscar, The Waiting Room spends 24 hours in the emergency room at Oakland’s Highland public hospital, a nationally recognized training ground for medical interns and residents. Peeling back the layers, patients feel manipulated, staff are overwhelmed, and the system is exhausted under the burden of limited resources in this contemporary portrait of healthcare and people who consistently feel its impact. 

Peter Nicks is an award-winning director/cinematographer known for immersive camera work, cinema vérité style, and films that explore complex social issues through intimate, character-driven non-fiction narratives. His recent feature documentary works include Anthem, following composer Kris Bowers’ journey to create a new American anthem, and Stephen Curry: Underrated, the coming-of-age story of a Bay Area basketball superstar.  A graduate of Howard University, and with a Masters from the University of California, Berkeley School of Journalism, Nicks is the founder of Open’hood, a nonprofit media organization that uses storytelling to create more active and connected communities, and, along with Ryan Coogler, co-founder of Proximity Media.