A Northampton-based charity is showing a free screening of an award-winning film being shown around the world to promote Motor Neurone Disease Global Awareness Day.
The MND Association has organised the special showing at The Core at Corby Cube on Friday June 21, on the day when thousands of people from India to Moscow will watch the same documentary.
I Am Breathing is a 70-minute film chronicling the last few months in the life of Neil Platt. He invited film makers into his home to enable him to leave a legacy for his son Oscar, who was just a few months old when he was diagnosed with MND.
Neil died aged 34 in 2009 but his film has now been edited and released as the focus for a national awareness campaign by the Motor Neurone Disease Association, which is based in the town centre.
With the support of Neil’s widow Louise and thanks to charity sponsorship, it has been the focus of an advertising campaign on the national rail network and the London Underground. It has already gained national media coverage as well as picking up awards on the global film festival circuit. It has a UK premier at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Thursday June 20 where it is also nominated for the audience award.
Sally Light, chief executive of the MND Association, said: “We are very proud of the film and our involvement with Neil’s family, together with the filmmakers from the Scottish Documentary Institute. We are supporting around 100 screenings globally and in the UK. Thanks to the generous support of the Corby Cube we also have this fantastic flagship event in the county where we are very proud to have our national office.
“It is an amazing documentary and conveys the devastating impact the disease has on the wider family and friends. As an awareness tool has made such an impact already and thousands more people will know about MND thanks to Neil’s legacy.”
Lucinda Hill, general manager of the Core at Corby Cube, said: “It is a great example of The Core being part of our community in Corby and also much further afield. Aside from anyone who wants to find out more about MND it is also a great opportunity to see an award-winning documentary on the film festival circuit just a day after the UK premiere.”