The human immune system fights bacteria and viruses, so why can’t it recognize and destroy cancer? Could an investigation into the structure of T cells provide answers? Visionary researcher and Nobel Prize–winner Jim Allison butts heads with Big Pharma in trying to get a revolutionary cancer drug on the market as soon as possible so it can start saving lives. With the pace and drama of a thriller, and an inspiring origin story (Jim was 11 when he lost his mother to cancer), Breakthrough follows its hero’s journey through scientific trials and tribulations until key allies allow him to unleash his superpower—a belief that cancer research has been looking in the wrong place all along. A harmonica-playing iconoclast (and pal of Willie Nelson’s) with a passion for biology and a stubbornness that knows no boundaries in the search for answers, Jim Allison gets the recognition he deserves.  LB

Filmmaker Q&A following screening