Follow the intellectual and emotional journey of a group of medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx in the new PBS documentary “The Calling: A Medical School Journey”. Captured through verité scenes and personal video diaries, the film offers an inside look at America’s healthcare system through the eyes of these aspiring practitioners as they learn what it takes to become a doctor in one of the country’s most underserved communities.

None of the three shows recently admitted into the crowded field of hospital drama-- the electrifying 'Berlin ER,' the more mainstream 'The Pitt' and the do-not resuscitate 'Watson'- are what one would call "feel good." But "The Calling" is: Nonfiction, no-frills and nothing less than inspiring, it follows a group of students at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine who may not represent the entire future of American medicine, but are devoted and grateful. And their happiness is contagious. 

Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - March 14-March 20, 2025

The Calling: A Medical School Journey (2024) - A documentary following a group of medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. (PBS)

Over the two-hour screening, the students watched four short films, including: “Wild Hope: Unleaded;” “Reviving the Forgotten River,” which was the Student Film Award winner; “The Tragedy of the Apple Tree,” which was made by 16-year-old Frederick County Career And Technology Center student Luis Rosa Villanueva; and “Timber Rattlesnakes of Catoctin Mountain Park,” which featured now-deceased Shepherdstown resident and Eastern timber rattlesnake expert Marty Martin.

In this interview with Mongabay India, Taira Malaney, the director of Turtle Walker talks about why she chose Bhaskar as the subject of her documentary, the challenges of filming with turtles and the role of environmental films.

The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys. Case in point: the nine films below. The movies that studios reserve for the doldrums of the early months are rarely the ones that compete for Oscars later on.

Why did you name your company “Impossible”?

I wanted the name to be provocative, intriguing and memorable.  It was widely believed at the time that meat could only come from animals and that it would be impossible to create meat using only ingredients made from plants or produced by fermentation, so “Impossible” was also kind of an ironic way of thumbing our nose at the doubters.  We were going to do the “Impossible.”

THE CALLING: A MEDICAL SCHOOL JOURNEY, a new documentary directed by Asako Gladsjo, follows the intellectual and emotional journey of a group of students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.

Documentary “The Calling: A Medical School Journey,” following the journey of a group of students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, premieres Monday, March 17 at 10p on PBS (check local listings).