Australian filmmaker spreads awareness of endometriosis with release of new film ‘Endo & Us’

Katie Macqueen, 32, released her first short film ‘Endo & Us’ in October to spread awareness for gynaecological condition endometriosis. 

The 16-minute film which took three years to make features fifteen women with endometriosis discussing their personal experiences with the chronic condition. 

Katie, creator and director of Endo & Us, said: “After I was diagnosed with Endo, I looked back at the seven years that it took to find an answer and I thought ‘I want to make films, why not create some awareness, help my Endosisters and be creative at the same time?’ so I drafted a treatment for the film and started gathering a team of filmmakers to start production.”

Katie, who is based in Sydney, Australia, has suffered from endometriosis since she was 18 years old, her symptoms ranging from extreme bladder infections and bleeding from the bladder to painful periods and fatigue. She said: “When I was struggling to find a diagnosis I felt scared, alone and rejected. No one in the medical world seemed to know or care about the pain I was experiencing. It was maddening not knowing what was wrong with my body. At times, I felt like I was dying and I had nowhere to go for help or advice. The only thing that pulled me through was the love and support of my family and close friends.”

The official trailer was released on YouTube in June 2015 and received over 11,000 views and very positive feedback. Melissa Turner commented: “What an amazing project and super excited to see it being made and put out there for the world to know what endometriosis can mean for so many women!”

Following the trailer release, Katie and the team worked on perfecting the edit and finalising the special effects and medical information. 

She said: “We were lucky enough to be supported by Endometriosis Australia, Red Apple Camera Rentals who kindly donated their film equipment for our cause, Carnival Productions who also donated their film studios and Pozible who hosted our crowd funding campaign for stage 2 of shooting.” 

Katie posted frequent updates on the Instagram page @endo_and_us which attracted attention to her project. 

The film which features dancers Lauren Kate Seymour and Winnie Monck, was released on YouTube and Endometriosis Australia’s Vimeo. It gained instant social media attention, being shared worldwide on platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. 

Prema Weir commented: “Beautiful film and such an important message to get out and help more women get an early diagnosis and support.” Krystal Elder added: “Beautiful, and dead on. Thank you for sharing MY story too.” 

Following the official release, Katie said: “We’ve had an amazing response to the film so far! The feedback and support we’ve been receiving is a wonderful surprise, especially from our Endosisters. Hearing them say that they relate to the film is extremely heart-warming. It also validates the hard work and long hours that everyone donated for the cause.” 

She added: “I hope that with the help of this film, women and members of the transgender community will be able to find a diagnosis and treatment quickly. I also hope that our society is able to understand how strong and inspiring these women are. They don’t call us endo warriors for nothing!”