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"A true life medical drama of epic proportions, a must see!”

JEFF COLLER, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of RNA Biology and Therapeutics, Johns Hopkins University

"Provides exciting insights into the world of mRNA technology and medical biotech in general."

NORMAN DRZENIEK, Scientist and Practitioner in Cell Engineering, Biomaterials, Berlin Institute of Health

“My personal favorite moment of the film is a question of the relationship between science and the capitalist economy."

JÉRÔME LEMONNIER, co-author of “The Marathon of the Messenger”

"The film brilliantly explains a complex scientific topic without ever oversimplifying it, making the science accessible while preserving its depth and accuracy."

MIKAËL PITTET, Professor,  holder of the ISREC Foundation Chair in immuno-oncology, full member of the Ludwig Institute for cancer research, University of Geneva

"It touches upon personal and scientific based topics in an easy to digest manner."

ANDREW VARLEY, RNA & Formulation Core Solving DNA & RNA Synthesis, Purification, Analytical Challenges

University of British Columbia

"This film does a great job of breaking down some pretty complex science, making it easy for anyone to understand."

ALEKSEI TUROCKIN, Merck Life Science

"The film also doesn’t shy away from the controversy that accompanied the rollout of the Covid vaccines."

LYUDMILA KOVALCHUKE, Scientist VIB Research Belgium

“If someone told you they could sequence the DNA of your malignant tumour (cancers have their own DNA) and then give you a shot of mRNA that would prime your immune system to attack your life- threatening tumour--and only that tumour--would you take the shot? (I sure would.) That's where we're headed with mRNA therapies, thanks to the researchers featured in this film."

ADRIANA BARTON, Healthcare Journalist, British Columbia, Canada

THE MESSENGER: A Story of mRNA

A film by Yelena Ganshof van der Meersch, Tareq Daoud, Ev Durán

Synopsis

mRNA vaccine pioneers uncover a tangled history of discoveries, igniting a new wave of therapeutics. Unaware of the impending pandemic, visionary scientists sought gene therapy methods for cancer, HIV, and other deadly diseases. Their groundbreaking work on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, now crowned by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine, is bringing a new era of revolutionary cures.

Casting

  • Katalin Karikó (University of Pennsylvania, USA) - Nobel Prize winner 2023
  • Steve Pascolo (University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland)
  • Pieter Cullis ( Acuitas, University of British Columbia, Canada)
  • Ugur Sahin (BioNTech, Germany)
  • Ozlem Tureci (BioNTech, Germany)
  • Hans-Georg Rammensee (University of Tübingen, Germany)
  • Robert Malone (USA)
  • Robert Langer (MIT, USA)
  • Fyodor Urnov (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
  • Elie Dolgin (USA)

Credits

Co-directors and Co-authors:
Yelena Ganshof van der Meersch
Tareq DaoudEv Durán

Producers:
Yelena Ganshof van der Meersch
Bettina Hofmann
Steven Artels
Vincent Michaud

Cinematography:
Ev Durán
Tareq Daoud
Alexander Griesser
Keith Macri

Sound:
Ev Durán
Vadim Alyokhin
Mikhail Orlov
Wesley Cannon
Matt Brascia
Nestor Oscar Claveria

Image Editors:
Kostas Makrinos
Bronwen Cowley

Original Music and Sound Design:
Jérôme Baur

Lights:
Ev Durán

Makeup Artist:
Albrecht

Animation Artist:
Caroline Schupbach

2D Animation Team:
Safran Juillard
Romain Delaunay
Albin Merle
Benoit Pelle

Colorgrading:
Marcel-Ange Michaud

Sound Mix:
Jean chrles Mermoud

English Narrator Voice:
Lise Pedersen

French Voices:
Damien Laquet
Hyppolit Audouy
Laurent Pasquier
Elise Gamet

Produced and Supported by:
INSIDE TOMORROW
RTS Swiss National Television Channel
Cinéforom Cultural Fund
Loterie Romande
2 Hérons Production

Technical Details

Format: HD

Duration: 53 min

Year: 2023

Original Language: English, French

Dubbed: French, Italian

Country: Switzerland, France

IMDb: link

ISAN: 0000-0005-FDA5-0000-Z-0000-0000-6

Screenings

Vancouver, November 20, 2025

Berlin, Charité, November 12, 2025

Washington DC, JHU Bloomberg Center, April 1, 2025

Geneva, University of Geneva, December 12, 2024

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