‘Light between the fragments. Mira’s journey, from the discovery of the disease to hope with Car-T’ was presented today in Milan, inside the spaces of the Naba Campus, Nuova Accademia delle Belle Arti. A 2D animated short film, produced by the students of the three-year course in Cinema and Animation of Naba, Pietro Caprari, Alice Chiofalo, Luca Giorgi, Alice Guerrini, Arianna Luna Perrone, Andrea Montani, Federico Mostacchi, Andrea Starace with the supervision of the Naba teachers Malina De Carlo, Simona Duci, Giacomo Manzotti, Jacopo Martinoni and promoted by Gilead Sciences with the patronage of AIL- Italian Association against leukemia-lymphoma and myeloma and La Lampada di Aladino Ets.
The story tells of a master glassmaker, Mira, and her daughter, Marta, who find themselves facing a major challenge together: the diagnosis of blood cancer. Through the short film, the viewer experiences the patient journey of the person who undergoes Car-T, from the moment of diagnosis, to treatment and remission. Mira and Marta, mother and daughter, bring out the emotions and difficulties that a person with a hematological tumor, together with the caregiver, must face on the long journey towards recovery. A difficult journey full of uncertainties, but which sees a ‘light’ with the possibility of a new innovative therapy: Car-T represents the moment in which hope is rekindled. The language of “Luce tra i fratelli” is simple, the music is evocative. A short film that wants to give voice to those affected by a hematological tumor so that the public can understand the fears and worries that these people have to live with every day, but it also wants to instill confidence in research and therapies.
“Blood cancers are increasingly curable today thanks to innovative therapies, Car-T represent a real turning point and have radically changed the treatment paradigm. We are witnessing a revolution in the field of hematology. The therapeutic need for some types of blood cancers is considered important, patients who until recently had no therapeutic options today have hope and a chance of recovery”, said Stefania Bramanti, head of the Cellular Therapy section at Irccs Istituto Clinico Humanitas. “Car-T is an innovative therapy based on the genetic engineering of patients’ white blood cells to make them more effective in recognizing and defeating tumor cells. These are complex therapies that require careful evaluation of the patient’s clinical picture, but research has made great strides and more and more people can benefit from these therapies, for some pathologies we are even moving towards the first lines of treatment”.
In “La luce tra i frammenti” the metaphor of glass tells the story of people’s fragility. “The short film is very explanatory, Mira’s story, together with Marta, represents in a very realistic way the journey of those who face a hematological tumor. The protagonist reminds us that one can be disconcerted by a diagnosis like this but the need for information, awareness and trust in research remains strong. At the same time, the difficulties and obstacles emerge in the short film. Our Association has always been committed on this front and we provide patients with a network of assistance and concrete help, such as the Ail homes, to alleviate the difficulties they encounter. We are very proud to have participated in this project because it provides everyone with a tool capable of telling in a realistic but delicate way the experience of those who undergo Car-T treatment”, recalled Rosalba Barbieri, Ail national vice president and president of the Ail Novara-Vco section.
‘Luce tra i fratelli’ highlights the most salient features of the patient journey of many people affected by blood cancer and tries to enhance the most human aspects through the characters. “The innovation of advanced therapies undoubtedly represents an important evolution of medicine towards increasingly personalized approaches and thus opens up new scenarios and treatment paths. Telling this innovation in a short film was the real challenge, telling a tortuous path that winds through a thousand obstacles. Through the experience of the characters in the short film, the real and concrete needs of people with blood cancer can be highlighted and if on the one hand the clinical value of Car-T is indisputable, on the other there are still many issues under discussion. It is necessary to increase information and education and we must work on access, all patients regardless of their geographical origin or possibilities deserve the best therapeutic solution available – comments Davide Petruzzelli, president of La Lampada di Aladino Ets and coordinator of Favo hematological neoplasia – The students of Naba were able to translate these messages into an emotional product in which patients can recognize themselves”.
Mira’s story reflects the emotional journey of many patients and their families who often live the challenge of the disease in silence. Disclosing these experiences amplifies their voice. “Cellular therapies have revolutionized the treatment of several onco-hematological diseases, changing the story of many patients. Gilead is at the forefront of this revolution, with a constant commitment to promoting scientific progress, developing innovative therapeutic solutions and improving the quality of life of onco-hematological patients. However, our commitment is not limited only to research”, comments Carmen Piccolo, medical director of Gilead Sciences Italia. “We are proud to have collaborated with Naba, with the patronage of patient associations, for the creation of this exciting short film, which highlights how the progress of research allows patients to look to the future with greater hope. Contributing to the creation of this short film and raising public awareness of hematological tumors is of great importance to us. We believe that Mira’s story can become that of more and more people who will be able to benefit from these therapies”.
‘Luce tra i fratelli’ is a message of hope: “As an Academy, we are deeply connected to this project. The students have enthusiastically and with great commitment accepted the challenge of expressing such a delicate and intimate theme through animation, thus managing to give a gentle and remarkable form to the fears and daily difficulties of those who face a hematological tumor and their caregivers”, comments Vincenzo Cuccia, media design and New Technologies and set designer Area Leader of Naba. “We hope that the short film ‘Luce tra i fratelli’, which tells this reality through the eyes of young people, can in some way contribute to amplifying attention, sensitivity and trust in research and therapies because, and I borrow from the narrative voice of the short ‘Like glass we are fragile and transparent, but also strong and reflective in the light of hope'”, he concludes.
#Blood #Tumors #CarT #Therapy #Patients #Path #Sees #Light #Fragments
