Press Room
Recent Press Coverage
Reel Lives in Le Courrier (Swiss) July 2 2008
Reel Lives in Medical News Today April 25 2008
Official Reel Lives Press Releases
First International Cancer Film Festival Announces Finalists (July 14 2008)
New Film Festival Challenges Cancer Stigma
Top Oncologist on Jury Panel (April 24 2008)
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FIRST INTERNATIONAL CANCER FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FINALISTS
Global line-up drawn from over 250 entries
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 14 July 2008 – The finalists for Reel Lives: The Cancer Chronicles, the first ever international documentary film competition on cancer, are announced today in a line-up that includes 2007 Oscar winner Freeheld and many other remarkable films from 16 countries worldwide. The finalists were chosen from an impressive group of over 250 entries from 40 countries.
The festival will take place 28-30 August during the World Cancer Congress in Geneva. It is organised by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), the leading international non-governmental organisation dedicated exclusively to global cancer control. The festival aims to raise awareness of the complex realities of cancer globally, to shatter taboos and myths surrounding the disease, and to challenge stigma. Reel Lives pays tribute to those whose lives have been impacted by cancer, and provides them with the opportunity to tell their story to a global audience through the creative medium of film.
“We are delighted with the calibre and variety of entries that we have received for this inaugural festival, and narrowing the finalists down to 33 from over 250 submissions has been more difficult than any of us ever imagined,” says Isabel Mortara, UICC executive director. “Each film relates to the experience of cancer but content and creative execution varies wildly. Many films challenge preconceptions about what it means to live with cancer. They tap into the full range of human emotions, even humour. I have great admiration for anyone who has not only the courage to fight the disease but also to share his or her experience with us on film. These films are nothing less than a celebration of life.”
The programme for the festival will include 15 public service announcements, 10 personal stories, four reportage films, and four educational films. The finalist films are attached.
“The launch of this film festival is significant, especially to anyone who has been touched by cancer,” says Academy Award winner Cynthia Wade, director of the film Freeheld, which tells the story of a dying police officer who fights to transfer her pension to her domestic partner. “The Reel Lives festival brings the world’s attention to what it means to live with cancer and frames its significant social impact around the world.”
The finalists were selected by an international programming committee and will be judged for the competition by a jury panel made up of a cancer survivor, a patient advocate, a cancer organisation representative, a noted oncologist, a communication expert and a health journalist. Monetary prizes will be awarded, with a Grand Prize of US $10,000.
The festival’s lead sponsor is GlaxoSmithKline Oncology. Additional sponsors of the festival include PPD Inc., PharmaNet and The Loterie Romande.
The festival will include opening and closing celebrations and three days of screenings. For more information please visit the festival website: www.reellives.org
Swiss media |
Claudia Durgnat |
T: +41 79 507 23 24
|
US Media |
Jennifer Ryan |
T: + 1 214 378 7778
|
EU Media |
Antoinette Lee |
T: +44 (0)20 7798 9993
|
Finalists
Public Service Announcements
Fashion to Die For (Australia)
To Heal a Child (Brazil)
Tragedias (Mexico)
Shadow (Israel)
Access to Care (USA)
I Beat Cancer (USA)
Any Questions? (Canada)
Basketball (Israel)
Bumblebee (Sweden)
Chips (Israel)
How Long is a String? (Australia)
Hookah (Israel)
Don’t Concede to Eye Cancer (India)
Smoke (Brazil)
Zita (Australia)
Personal Stories
Chrigu (Switzerland)
Transparent Time (Israel)
Breast Cancer Diaries (USA)
Crazy Sexy Cancer (USA)
Run For Life (Switzerland)
Dear Talula (USA)
Freeheld (USA)
The Art of Living (India)
A Gift: 12.5 cm (Taiwan)
Thuy's Dream (Vietnam)
Reportage
Children Fighting Cancer (UK)
La Guerre Contre le Cancer (FR)
The Truth About Cancer (USA)
Kill or Cure (UK)
Educational
Lo Faccio 1000 Volte (Italy)
Les Enfants de L'Avenir (Morocco)
Tropic of Cancer (Croatia)
Emily's Story (USA)
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New Film Festival Challenges Cancer Stigma
Top Oncologist on Jury Panel
Geneva, 24 April 2008 - Reel Lives: The Cancer Chronicles Film Festival is the first ever international documentary film competition focused on cancer. It aims to raise awareness of the impact of cancer while also honouring people who have been touched by the disease.
Reel Lives is produced by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 28-30 August. The festival is supported by a grant from GlaxoSmithKline Oncology.
In its inaugural year, the festival has already received more than 100 film entries from around the world, and has just added noted oncologist Dr. Larry Norton to its team of expert judges.
“We are thrilled with the positive response,” says Isabel Mortara, executive director of UICC, the leading international non-governmental organization dedicated exclusively to the global control of cancer. “We believe the festival will help demystify cancer and deepen awareness of cancer as a pressing global health issue, while also highlighting progress in the fight against the disease.”
Films submitted to the competition come from more than 20 countries and are a mixture of features, shorts and public service announcements. Several are by notable directors, including the 2007 Oscar-winning documentary Freeheld by Cynthia Wade, which follows the true story of a dying police officer who fights to transfer her pension to her domestic partner.
Submissions to Reel Lives: The Cancer Chronicles Film Festival will be accepted until 1 May 2008. A panel of cancer community experts and film industry personalities will judge the films and select the winners.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Norton as a judging panel member for the festival,” says Ann Steyn, jury chairperson, president of UICC’s Reach to Recovery International (RRI), and breast cancer survivor. “Dr. Norton is a well-respected oncologist committed to breast cancer research and improved treatments for patients and his perspective will be invaluable to the judging process.”
Dr. Norton is the Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Breast Cancer Programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Norton has also served as chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation since its inception in 1993. He was formerly the Chair of the Breast Committee of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer and Leukemia Group B and President of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO). He was President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology from 2001 to 2002 and was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board.
The festival will take place during the 2008 World Cancer Congress in Geneva. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000. Other monetary prizes will also be awarded.
Further information - www.reellives.org
Contacts:
Jennifer Ryan, Tonic Life Comms USA +1 214 378 7778;
Claudia Durgnat, UICC/Reel Lives Film Festival Switzerland +41 79 507 2324
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The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) is the leading international non-governmental organization dedicated exclusively to the global control of cancer. Its vision is of a world where cancer is eliminated as a major life-threatening disease for future generations.
GSK is fully committed to the research and development of innovative oncology products that will make profound differences in the lives of patients with cancer.
Reel Lives: The Cancer Chronicles Film Festival, info-at-reellives.org | Copyright © 2007, Reel Lives Film Festival. All rights reserved.