Award-Winning Documentary 'Third Degree Burnout' Partners with Picture Motion for National Impact Campaign

Following an award-winning festival run and U.N.-recognized impact, the documentary enters a new phase of national engagement and cross-sector activation

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, March 31, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The multi-award-winning burnout resilience documentary Third Degree Burnout – A Survivor’s Guide, a powerful public health, food systems and climate change documentary, today announced a strategic partnership with Picture Motion, a leading social impact agency known for its award-winning advocacy, audience engagement, and documentary impact campaigns.

This collaboration marks a major milestone for the film and its parent nonprofit, The Virsa Foundation Inc., and its JIVINITI Research and Communications Program, as they prepare to scale a national impact campaign through grassroots screenings, educational distribution, and cross-sector partnerships across healthcare, academic, and community institutions.

Co-executive produced and directed by Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes, Third Degree Burnout – A Survivor’s Guide is a hybrid social impact film that connects the dots between burnout, mental health, chronic disease, food systems, and climate change. The documentary feature draws on The GAIA Study - one of the largest nonprofit public health consumer research studies on burnout, lifestyle, and nutrition conducted by The Virsa Foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic in partnership with Ipsos Public Affairs - to deliver an evidence-based narrative designed to drive behavioral change and awareness of burnout as a systemic signal.

Picture Motion, founded in 2012 and now part of Publicis Media, is widely recognized for designing high-impact campaigns for leading documentaries and global brands. Their portfolio includes campaigns for Oscar^®-winning films such as Summer of Soul, Free Solo, and American Fiction, as well as collaborations with Disney, Hulu, Apple, and National Geographic. Their work has received multiple Shorty Social Good Awards, including honors for STEM and accessibility campaigns.

Through this partnership, Picture Motion will develop and execute a comprehensive documentary impact campaign for Third Degree Burnout, leveraging its expertise in grassroots and institutional screenings, strategic partnerships, and audience engagement to bring the film into universities, healthcare systems, and community settings. The collaboration is designed to translate the film’s research-driven narrative into meaningful dialogue, educational programming, and measurable behavior change across diverse audiences.

Following a successful Fall–Winter 2025 film festival run - including twelve awards and two United Nations–affiliated recognitions - the nonprofit has entered a new phase focused on audience research to inform its national impact strategy.

The team has been studying multiple key audiences, including burnout-impacted U.S. adults, healthcare professionals, and Gen Z audiences experiencing climate anxiety. Early results, in collaboration with film content insights specialist research agency, Largo, highlight strong audience resonance and behavioral intent.

Among burnout-impacted U.S. adults, 84% reported that the documentary helped them “connect the dots” between diet, health, and burnout, while 83% said they are seriously considering dietary and lifestyle changes. Among Gen Z audiences - where as per existing research up to 85% already report concern about climate change and 75% report related mental health challenges - 82% said the film effectively connects personal burnout to systemic issues such as climate change and food systems. Additionally, 72% noted that the documentary balances difficult realities with hope, solutions, and community-driven action. The film also received near-perfect audience ratings in research settings, with GEN Z viewers strongly agreeing that the documentary increases urgency around climate, health, and well-being, and reinforces the role of individual choices - including food and lifestyle - in addressing environmental challenges.

“At Picture Motion, we are always looking for stories that not only inform but inspire tangible change,” said Brian Walker, CEO of Picture Motion. “Third Degree Burnout is a powerful and timely social impact documentary that brings together evidence, storytelling, and lived experience in a way that resonates deeply across audiences. We are excited to help bring this film to communities and institutions where it can spark meaningful dialogue and action.”

“This documentary sits at the intersection of multiple urgent conversations - from mental health and burnout to food systems and climate resilience,” said Juliette Richey, COO of Picture Motion. “Our goal is to build an impact campaign that reaches diverse audiences and provides clear pathways for engagement, education, and action.”

“This film has been five years in the making - rooted first in my own burnout and grief from personal loss, which motivated our public health consumer research during the global pandemic, and then translated into a cinematic experience designed to connect with audiences at a human level,” said Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes, Co-Executive Producer and Director of Third Degree Burnout – A Survivor’s Guide, and Founder and President of The Virsa Foundation Inc. “Partnering with Picture Motion allows us to take this documentary beyond the screen and into real-world environments - classrooms, conferences, corporations, and communities - where awareness can translate into meaningful behavior change.”

“Third Degree Burnout is a critical and courageous documentary that exposes the structural inequities embedded within the ‘food systems industrial complex’ - systems we have collectively built and are now, in many ways, held hostage by,” said E Solaire Denaud, PhD., Researcher in Black Studies and Environmental Humanities at University of California, Santa Barbara. “This is groundbreaking work that has the power to move hearts, minds, and potentially policy at a time when interdisciplinary storytelling is urgently needed.”

“Third Degree Burnout – A Survivor’s Guide is a fascinating and ambitious documentary that connects personal burnout with the larger concept of planetary burnout in a way I hadn’t seen before. The film blends expert interviews, creative animations, and narrative elements with actors that break the traditional documentary format, giving it a distinctive voice. With its diverse perspectives and strong production value, the film explores the connections between health, lifestyle, and the systems shaping our wellbeing, " said Brian Kateman, Founder, Reducetarian Foundation; Author and Director of Meat Me Halfway. "It’s an impressive undertaking with a multifaceted message that has the potential to spark meaningful conversations across a wide range of audiences.”

The Virsa Foundation views this collaboration as a natural next step in a five-year journey - from conducting one of the largest nonprofit studies on burnout and lifestyle choices to developing a feature-length documentary and now preparing to launch a national impact and education campaign. The 2026 campaign will focus on advancing public understanding of burnout as a systemic public health issue, increasing awareness of food systems and chronic disease, engaging healthcare leaders and educators, and activating younger audiences facing climate anxiety and mental health challenges.

Universities, healthcare systems, and community organizations interested in hosting a screening or integrating the film into educational or public programming are invited to connect with: Juliette Richey <juliette@picturemotion.com>

Philanthropic partners and funders interested in supporting the film’s national impact campaign and expanding its reach across institutions and communities are encouraged to connect with: Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes <admin@thevirsafoundation.org>

Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes
The Virsa Foundation Inc and JIVINITI Research Program
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Hopeful, solution-driven, and uplifting — this trailer highlights the collective expertise and optimism of Third Degree Burnout - A Survivor’s Guide.

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