D Tour, A Rock n’ Roll Film About Life, Death and Bodily Functions, Premieres Tuesday, November 10, at 10pm on the PBS Series Independent Lens

(San Francisco, CA) — D TOUR is a most unusual music documentary. Combining a band road trip with a personal quest for an organ donor, the film follows the journey of Pat Spurgeon, a talented indie rock musician on the rise, whose life becomes consumed with the care and feeding of his failing kidney. Spurgeon, a previous kidney transplant recipient, is part of the organ donor / recipient community, a special group whose lives become entwined in life and death. On one side are those whose lives are saved through tragedy or by an incredible gift from a living donor; on the other are the families of the donors, who are offered a chance for hope and bittersweet resolution for their loss. Filled with unexpected twists and the joys and sorrows of life, D TOUR, directed by Jim Granato, premieres on the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens on Tuesday, November 10, at 10pm (check local listings). 

Pat Spurgeon is an integral part of the indie pop band Rogue Wave, whose three critically acclaimed albums and performances worldwide have earned them a growing fan base. As the film begins, Spurgeon is embarking on tour, an exhausting prospect even for healthy musicians, but almost impossible for someone coping with dialysis, dietary restrictions and the search for a living donor match. While his choice to keep touring and working towards the band’s goals is put to the test, Spurgeon continues to deal with his challenges in a straightforward and matter-of-fact way. D TOUR also addresses issues within the U.S. healthcare system, including the lack of affordable insurance, the importance of organ donation, and much more. Featuring live performances from Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), Nada Surf, John Vanderslice, The Moore Brothers and of course, Rogue Wave. 

To learn more about the film and the issues, visit the companion website for D TOUR www.pbs.org/independentlens/d-tour. Get detailed information on the film, watch preview clips, read an interview with the filmmaker and explore the subject in depth with links and resources. The site also features a Talkback section where viewers can share their ideas and opinions. 

About the Filmmaker 
Jim Granato (Director/Producer/Director of Photography/Co-Editor) is a self-taught filmmaker who originally hails from Bloomington, Indiana. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1996, he has produced and directed several short films, screening both locally and worldwide. In addition, Granato has received many credits on a variety of independent film and television productions. Some of these are award-winning documentary features include Taggart Siegel's The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005), Michael Jacobs' Audience of One (2007) and Dori Berinstein's Some Assembly Required (2008). D TOUR (2009) is Granato’s first feature film as director and producer. The film has won several awards, including the Golden Gate Award for Bay Area Documentary Feature from the San Francisco International Film Festival. 

Visit the companion website >> 

About Independent Lens
Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award–winning weekly series airing Tuesday nights at 10pm on PBS. The acclaimed anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers. Independent Lens features unforgettable stories about unique individuals, communities and moments in history. Presented by the Independent Television Service (ITVS), the series is supported by interactive companion websites and national publicity and community engagement campaigns. Further information about the series is available at www.pbs.org/independentlens. Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts. The series producer is Lois Vossen. 

Contact:

Voleine Amilcar, ITVS, 415-356-8383 x 244, voleine_amilcar@itvs.org 

Mary Lugo, 770-623-8190, lugo@negia.net 

Cara White, 843-881-1480, cara.white@mac.com