Unlike other posts you may come across on 1 April, this is no joke: Our film has just won at the Vedere la Scienza Festival in Milan. Here's what the international jury had to say: 

"The prize is given for the relevance of the subject, the effectiveness and the elegance of the animations, which well illustrate complex concepts. The documentary recounts the evolution of the stem cells studies in a clear and precise fashion, with an interesting description of the relationship between researchers, physicians and patients. The current clinical applications and their ethical implications are openly and honestly discussed. Interesting the introduction of the point of view of a well known writer."

STEM CELL REVOLUTIONS will be released on DVD and online very soon. Make sure you've signed up to get notified. 

The winning films will be screened again on Tuesday 3 April.

"We can grow a professional cyclist from stem cells," claim scientists – backed up by filmmakers.

Scientists in Edinburgh today announced that they would theoretically be able to grow professional athletes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in the lab. They are now urging the Scottish Government to grant them permission to go ahead with this experiment, the first of its kind in the world.

Full article at the Scottish Documentary Blog.

To ease the wait for the release of our film on DVD and online, here's another round of recent news: A new stem cell technique to cure blindness has been developed by Dr. Virender S. Sangwan who is one of the participants in our documentary. Scientists also discovered a new type of stem cell in the ovaries which could improve women's health and fertility. And our friends at the University of Edinburgh are growing brain cells from skin samples.

Amy Hardie, the Scottish filmmaker who collaborated with scientist Clare Blackburn on STEM CELL REVOLUTIONS, now has her own blog called Amy on the Edge – the title a reference to her acclaimed documentary, THE EDGE OF DREAMING. She's focussing on "life, death, and the power of the unconscious". 

It would be great if you could have a look and let Amy know what you think.

Recently, Amy also wrote a post on our website on her approach to STEM CELL REVOLUTIONS.

Happy New Year everyone! This is the first round of stem cell stories we stumbled across in 2012. There seems to be a bit of crackdown going on regarding unproven stem cell therapies, both in the United States and in China. And there's some exciting news about an "excellent supply of stem cells right behind your eye"...

STEM CELL REVOLUTIONS will be available on DVD and online very soon.

Sign up here to register your interest, and you'll be the first to know when the film becomes available. Thanks!

Just a quick reminder that the film will screen in Newcastle on Tuesday 13 December. The host is Professor Michael Whitaker. Details of the event here.

UPDATE: Map of location corrected.

One day, two screenings, diametrically opposed on planet Earth: On 16 November, you'll be able to catch STEM CELL REVOLUTIONS at science festivals in Galway, Ireland as well as Dunedin, New Zealand.

UPDATE: ScienceTeller have just announced the finalists in the documentary competition, and we're one of them. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

If you're in Scotland and you haven't seen our documentary yet, you'll be able to catch it at Dundee Contemporary Arts on 10 November, as part of the Dundee Science Festival. We've just updated the event details.

The European Court of Justice decided today that, while the use of human embryos "for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes" is patentable, their use "for purposes of scientific research" isn't.

The ruling was triggered when Greenpeace Germany challenged the patented inventions of Professor Oliver Brüstle who is featured in our documentary. Brüstle had found a way to convert embryonic stem cells into nerve cells.

Prof Pete Coffrey, the director of the London Project to Cure Blindness and also a participant in STEM CELL REVOLUTIONS, told the BBC the court decision was "devastating":

"This could really halt the progress of stem cell therapies for as yet untreatable diseases."