Medical Malfeasance: The Thalidomide Tragedy

A group documentary made for National History Day in 2025 that took 1st place at the Long Island regional and 1st place in New York State before finishing in the national top 25%. Medical Malfeasance follows the thalidomide disaster — a drug sold as a safe sedative that left thousands of children with severe birth defects — and the regulatory reckoning it forced on the pharmaceutical industry. Built as a two-person edit, it leans on archival footage, period print, and expert interviews to hold a heavy story steady.