Il linguaggio della settima arte utilizzato come strumento per affrontare le paure e sconfiggerle.
Chronic myeloid leukemia suddenly arrives to disrupt the lives of those who receive the diagnosis and those around them, like a dark and threatening shadow. For this reason, scientific research and its constant support, which can occur through communication and the use of languages such as audiovisual, become increasingly important.
For this reason, the Italian affiliate of the American biopharmaceutical company, Incyte Biosciences, with the patronage of AIL – Italian Association against Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma, has created the short film “L'ospite”, thanks to the collaboration of the production company Brandon Box. The work was screened during the 53rd edition of the Giffoni Film Festival for the Giffoni Next Generation review of Giffoni Innovation Hub.
History
The short film tells the story of Fabio, a patient who has been forced to live with chronic myeloid leukemia for a long time, and his meeting with Vittoria, a woman who has just received the same diagnosis and who Fabio will accompany on the path that will help her face her fears. A few minutes, narrated intensely, which represent the meeting of two people with this disease, "the unexpected guest", and will help the public understand the fears and worries that people affected by chronic myeloid leukemia must live with every day, but also the hopes guaranteed by research and therapies.
“We are very proud – says Onofrio Mastandrea, Regional Vice Presidency, General Manager Incyte Italia – to present to the audience of the Giffoni Film Festival a strongly desired short film, made with the patronage of AIL and dedicated to chronic myeloid leukemia, as well as the consequences that a leukemia diagnosis can have on people. It is the responsibility of a company to communicate with the widest possible audience on issues that impact people's lives, as well as the responsibility to continue to invest in research and development of new drugs and therapies. It is thanks to this that on oncological diseases it is possible today to give a message of hope: especially to young people and their future, given that science has the primary objective of finding solutions in response to new needs. An objective that Incyte fully embodies in the motto 'SolveOn!' which guides all our decisions and our daily actions to bring continuous solutions where there is still an unmet need”.
“In recent years we have had the opportunity to work with several clients in the pharmaceutical world and with industry associations – says Alessandro Avagliano Head New Business Development & Strategic partnership – We are proud of this editorial line and the values that are behind this type of event. For this reason, when the opportunity arose to bring such a strong story to Giffoni, we did not hold back. We feel the need to build a shared language together with our customers to intercept the new generations and raise awareness on the fronts of scientific research and prevention”.
“L'ospite” wants to be a megaphone for a message of hope to raise awareness of a condition that deeply affects those affected by it, not only physically.
“Chronic myeloid leukemia, like any cancer diagnosis, is certainly an unexpected guest in a person's life” underlines Giuseppe Toro, National President of AIL. “We are very pleased to have sponsored the short film L'Ospite, which is now being presented at the Giffoni Film Festival, because we are convinced that it will help the public understand the fears and worries that patients have to live with every day, but also the hopes guaranteed by the achievements of scientific research and therapies. A message of trust that wants to raise everyone's awareness of greater attention towards a difficult condition that deeply affects those affected by it, in body and mind. It is important to remember that for each patient it is necessary to build a clear therapeutic path and that scientific research must be constantly supported.”
What is CML?
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a rare blood cancer caused by a particular genetic defect that leads to the production of a protein that stimulates the uncontrolled replication of tumor cells. Thanks to scientific research, the marker that has allowed the development of targeted drugs, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, has been identified. These have improved the overall survival of patients (which today reaches 85%-90% at 10 years) and have been shown to drastically reduce the progression of the disease to advanced stages, thus completely changing the prognosis of patients with CML. So much so that for some patients the possibility of suspending treatment may be considered. Unfortunately, however, resistance to therapies can occur – as Fabio explains in the short film. In fact, it is estimated that 30-40% of patients treated with first-generation TKIs and 13-14% of those treated with second-generation TKIs develop resistance or intolerance.
Article published on 27 July 2023 - 16:10
