New Canaan Country School can now add a Sundance Film Festival director to their list of alumni. The Class of 1998's Matt Heineman recently returned from the festival in Utah where he unveiled a documentary he co-produced and co-directed with Susan Froemke. The film is called "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" and it sold out five screenings at the festival.

Heineman said his desire to do something about healthcare is because of all the misconceptions surrounding it in this country.

"Healthcare is an issue that affects all of us, but it's so misunderstood. Everyone knows what it's like to get sick and put your trust in your healthcare provider's hands. But most of us don't think about our health unless we're in the hospital or visiting the doctor," he said. "We wanted to show through the film that we can empower ourselves to be healthier, as individuals and as a country, even before we get sick. We all have a stake in the health of our nation because we all pay for it. We felt like this was a subject that would hit home for every American, so we made it our goal to reach as wide an audience as possible."

Even though he may have been more aware than your average citizen, Heineman said the biggest challenge he faced while filming was dealing with the topic itself and realizing how complex and polarizing it can become.

"There's a reason politicians dating back to Teddy Roosevelt haven't been able to successfully reform our system," he said. "So, from day one, we have acknowledged these challenges and tried to find storylines and characters that help tell the story in an exciting, interesting, and personal way."

After working so hard to find those storylines and put together a narrative that makes sense, Heineman said the most exciting part was simply being able to enjoy Sundance for the first time.

"First and foremost, it was an incredible honor and quite humbling to be able to be there as a young filmmaker," he said. "Once the nerves wore off at our premiere, it was an exhilarating experience to screen the film publicly for the first time, to see audiences react and to interact with people after the screening."

What surprised him most was the reaction by festival attendees and other audience members. He felt many people in the film industry were genuinely hoping for a change in healthcare.

"We were all amazed at how well the film was received. We had five sold-out screenings and it really showed us how excited people were by our film, which explores not only how our healthcare system is broken, but we can do to fix it," he said. "It was wonderfully affirming to feel the energy and the desire to change our severely perverse system."

The next step with the project is to work on a release. Heineman hopes the film can be put out after talking to distributors before the 2012 presidential election. In addition to that, he is also looking at other forms of distribution to get the word out.

"We hope to have an extensive outreach campaign, screen the film on Capitol Hill, at medical schools, hospitals, community clinics and businesses around America," he said.

Heineman will visit New Canaan Coutnry School May 10 to receive the alumni award. For more information on his documentary visit http://www.escapefiremovie.com.

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New Canaan Country School alumni makes film about healthcare