More than 30 years ago, Dr. Fred Gottlieb, a San Francisco Bay area ophthalmologist, watched some rather dry surgical films during a medical meeting. "I could make films better than these," he said. His remark was overheard by a pharmaceutical executive sitting nearby who offered him a grant to do just that. The challenge was accepted, and Dr. Gottlieb entered the realm of medical film production.

He quickly came to understand the effort and skill required - and in 1974, having gained an appreciation for the art of this science, he conceived and launched a film competition for the medical world. Two hundred people gathered in a medical center auditorium to see four winning films, and the John Muir Medical Film Festival (as it was known then) was born.

Before his death in 1984, Dr. Gottlieb saw the film festival grow into an event attracting hundreds of entries from around the world. We remember Dr. Fred Gottlieb's legacy by calling our coveted award the FREDDIE.