Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy
Non-Toxic Biological Approaches to the Theories,
Treatments and Prevention of Cancer

2024
Our 53rd Year

Filmmakers

Rethinking Cancer, The Film is a documentary about 5 cancer patients and their stories on how they beat cancer using alternative cancer therapies. Below are the filmmakers that made it happen.

Richard Wormser

Writer, Director & Editor – Rethinking Cancer

Richard Wormser

Richard Wormser has written, produced and/or directed over one hundred documentary films and programs for television, foundations, educational institutions and government.

Wormser was the originator, series producer, co-director/writer of a four-part television series, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, the story of the African American struggle for freedom during the era of segregation 1880-1954. The series received national acclaim and won the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in television programming, three national Emmy nominations, the International Documentary Association Best Series award, Cine Gold Eagle and the Chris Award. Several reviewers picked The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow as one of the ten best television programs of 2002. He has also written, produced and/or directed over 50 programs for television, and educational institutions, which have received numerous awards.

Wormser has also directed and written nationally and internationally acclaimed documentaries including most recently Hubert’s World, Delta Dreams He has directed several films with major funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and PBS, among others.

He currently teaches at the University of New Haven. He has taught at New School University in New York City, the University of Bridgeport, and has been a guest lecturer at NYU, SUNY Albany and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  He presently resides in New Haven, Connecticut.

Consuelo Reyes

Executive Producer – Rethinking Cancer

Consuelo Reyes, is President of FACT and Executive Producer of the new documentary Rethinking Cancer. She earned a B.A. graduating Cum Laude in Russian Literature and Language from Barnard College in 1969, including a semester at Leningrad University in 1968.

Reyes had planned a career in the Diplomatic Corp, but the sturm and drang of the ’60s intervened. Soon after starting classes in Broadcast Journalism at Stanford University, Consuelo left to become a reporter/interviewer at the fledgling radio station KQED-FM in San Francisco, now an NPR member station. While at KQED, Reyes covered the intensifying anti-war and counter-culture movements, including the burgeoning trend toward natural foods and healing. After several years, her increasing interest in health led Reyes to leave radio and resume her lifelong love of sports –tennis, in particular, training and teaching professionally in Austria and Florida. Through this experience, Reyes became fascinated with finding new ways to achieve optimum athletic performance through a more natural lifestyle, though she was often frustrated with the deluge of conflicting information about how to achieve this.

In late 1987 a close friend received a diagnosis of breast cancer and was determined to avoid conventional treatment. Consuelo devoured everything she could find about alternative ways of healing the disease (these were pre-Google days, so it wasn’t easy). In a book called Cancer Survivors by Judith Glassman, she was attracted to a mention of The Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy (FACT) and its nutrition-based approach. Reyes contacted FACT president Ruth Sackman, whose strong, gravel voice and logical, down-to-earth advice sounded highly intriguing to the natural health seeker. In early 1988, the two met and bonded almost immediately.

To Consuelo, FACT was the embodiment of her ’60s ideals – undertaking innovative and challenging work towards an important cause. She became Ruth’s assistant for the next 20 years and, in 1997, was named to FACT’s Board of Trustees.

Since Ruth’s death in 2008, Reyes has served as President of FACT and as a chief facilitator of the creation of Rethinking Cancer, a new documentary designed to broadly disseminate information about the FACT championed bio-repair approach to the prevention and treatment of cancer and other serious diseases.

James Oakar

Producer/Soundtrack Composer – Rethinking Cancer

James Oakar serves on the Board of Trustees.  With extensive experience as a creative producer and music composer, James also served as Producer and Soundtrack Composer for the new documentary Rethinking Cancer.

Oakar has worked on several national feature films, television and multimedia projects taking on a variety of roles including composer, music director, producer, guitarist and actor.  His television credits include several PBS documentaries including Destination America, RFK, The Jewish Americans and, most recently, J. Robert Oppenheimer.  His music can be heard on episodes of CBS Sports Highlights, Jane Pauley Show, Montel Williams Show, America’s Most Wanted, and Crossing Over. Mr. Oakar has performed and/or acted on several feature films and television programs, such as ABC’s All My Children, as well as feature films Kincardine and Seven Miles Alone.

Mr. Oakar has produced several projects for radio and television including Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Music Festival, Mothers Against Drunk Driving as well as FACT‘s Health Forum radio show. Mr. Oakar is a graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music and New York University.

Mr. Oakar was introduced to the late Ruth Sackman and Consuelo Reyes and became a volunteer to FACT in 2001. He has served as the Foundation’s multimedia producer.