June 29th, 2009
Today (29th June) Birmingham’s Electric Cinema plays host to the first screening in Britain of a ground-breaking film about the lives of a group of people contending with a terminal illness.
Entitled Night and Day, the film tracks the highs, lows, hopes and fears of six patients and their families from the Birmingham area as they come to terms with the impending impact of death.
Through the experiences of individuals living on a day to day basis with the challenges thrown up by a range of life-threatening conditions, the film explores how illness affects relationships when spouses become front line carers.
Patients, families and friends talk candidly about the impact on them from both a practical and psychological perspective, as well as the support they need from palliative care teams in the community.
Produced by the arts-based organisation Rosetta Life, Night and Day forms part of the
wider Let’s Talk about Living campaign to stimulate open public discussion of the needs of those approaching the end of life and to help improve the range and quality of services available to them.
Chris Rawlence, director of media at Rosetta Life, commented: “Birmingham and neighbouring parts of the West Midlands are leading the way in enabling people to talk about subjects that have traditionally been taboo in the British psyche. This new film will inject compassion and understanding into the debate about the best ways of helping the individuals and families affected.”
Veteran black actor Earl Cameron CBE, who lives in the West Midlands and has starred in dramas as diverse as Casualty, Dalziel and Pascoe, Queen and Thunderball, will draw on his personal and professional experiences as he invites the audience to identify key lessons they can all apply in the future.
Said Earl: “It is highly appropriate that this wholly unique film is being shown for the first time in Britain’s oldest working cinema that opened its doors one hundred years ago on 27th December 1909.”
The film, and the campaign to which it is linked, have been funded by grants from Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust (BEN PCT).
Melanie Young, senior commissioner at BEN PCT, commented: “All those who have worked on Night and Day are to be congratulated for their innovative approach to this difficult subject. In particular, the patients and families involved should be applauded for their courage in telling their stories in this film. They are true stars who will provide inspiration to countless others who find themselves in the same position in years to come.”
END
Notes to editors:
1. The patients and family members featured in Night and Day are:
- John and Margaret Trueman
- Elias and Doreen Pharaoh
- Zoey, Garry and Zac Hill
- Joy and Sav Minogna
- Sally Coulter
- Eve Crocker
2. Interviews could be arranged with patients, families and members of the production team involved in the film either before the premiere at the Birmingham Electric Cinema next Monday or during the event itself. Please contact Paul Castle on 0121-765 4222.
3. If you wish to send a representative to cover the premiere, please contact Paul Castle in advance on 0121-765 4222. The screening of the film will start at 6.30 pm at Birmingham Electric Cinema, 47-49 Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY.
4. Earl Cameron CBE will lead the post-screening discussion that is scheduled to take place from 7.30 pm at the Radisson Hotel, 12 Holloway Circus, Queensway, Birmingham B1 1BT. If you would like to interview Earl before or at the event, please contact Paul Castle in advance on 0121-765 4222.
5. Night and Day, which runs for 45 minutes, will be available on DVD. If you would like a copy and permission to use some or all of film, or stills from the film, please contact Paul Castle on 0121-765 4222.
6. Night and Day has been produced as part of the Let’s Talk about Living campaign taking place throughout the summer and into October 2009. Other elements of the campaign include a new play set to tour venues in and around Birmingham; musical, poetry and photographic workshops; a children’s concert at the CBSO centre; the launch of a specially choreographed dance programme; and publication of a digital book. Full details of all these activities will be published nearer the time.
7. Further details about the Let’s Talk about Living campaign may be viewed at www.rosettalive.org
For further information please contact:
Lucinda Jarrett, Artistic Director, Rosetta Life
Tel: 07968 428 494
Paul Castle, Let’s Talk about Living Campaign
Tel: 0121-765 4222
