Breast Fest film festival features stories of survival
Updated: Nov. 20, 2009
It’s not easy being a big sister. My little sis Alicia and I fought constantly as kids. She had this
It’s not easy being a big sister. My little sis Alicia and I fought constantly as kids. She had this tendency to smack me in the face for no good reason. (I maintain my innocence to this day.) But now that we’re grown women, we’ve developed a close and supportive relationship. I can’t imagine what I’d do if anything ever happened to her, but I know she’d be a rock for me if something in my life went devastatingly wrong.
Maybe that’s why I was so touched by Dear Sister, a video documentary submitted to Rethink Breast Cancer’s second annual Breast Fest short film competition. In it, filmmaker Sylvia Soo documents her struggle with breast cancer, but the film is a love letter to her little sister Sabrina, who was there beside her through diagnosis, mastectomy and chemo. The film is at once touching and silly, deeply personal and will make you want to hug your sister forever’and even forgive her for breaking your Barbie. Maybe.
You can watch Dear Sister and other films dealing with breast cancer at www.breastfestfilmfest.com. Some are quirky, some are contemplative and all explore issues surrounding this devastating disease.
If you’re in the Toronto area from November 20 to 22, you can support Breast Fest, the world’s first film festival devoted to the subject of breast cancer, by attending screenings at the Royal Ontario Museum. Click here to purchase tickets.
