Breast cancer specialists at Addenbrooke’s Hospital will feature in a documentary premiering at the Cambridge Film Festival later in October. The film, Shades of Survival, explores global inequalities in breast cancer care for Black women.
Shades of Survival (opens in a new tab) features Professor Charlotte Coles, Professor Jean Abraham and Ms Georgette Oni from Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It will be shown during the Festival on 26 and 28 October at the Arts Picturehouse Cambridge (opens in a new tab).
Shades of Survival film trailer
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NO8KlyhMt8
Set across three continents (UK, US and Africa), the film combines personal stories, expert insights and creative performances to highlight persistent inequities in health outcomes for Black women, while celebrating the courage of those who advocate for change.
There's a lot of talk right now about things like artificial intelligence and big data, but that big data doesn't actually include people like me very much to be honest. So there needs to be a targeted concerted effort to make sure that that information is pulled in from as diverse and as big as a group as possible. Because otherwise we're just going to keep replicating those inequalities.
Ms Georgette Oni
Ms Oni is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and one of only a few in the UK specialised in oncoplastic breast surgery. Her expertise covers a wide range of breast cancer and reconstructive surgeries.
I think the call to action for all governments around the world is for equitable access for prevention and for treatment and for ongoing care for people with breast cancer. And it shouldn't be where you live, where you are born, that determines what care you get.
Professor Charlotte Coles
Professor Coles is a consultant oncologist and University of Cambridge Professor of Breast Cancer Clinical Oncology. She specialises in clinical trials that improve the use of radiotherapy for breast cancer treatment and chaired the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission addressing inequalities in breast cancer care.
Professor Abraham is an honorary consultant oncologist and University of Cambridge Professor of Precision Breast Cancer Medicine. Her research focuses on providing more tailored treatments for breast cancer, this includes the recent Partner trial and leading the Personalised Breast Cancer Programme.
Directed by David Ayeni, and starring actress Victoria Ekanoye, Shades of Survival tells inspiring personal stories of resilience and hope from Black women with breast cancer in Africa, the UK and USA.
I made Shades of Survival after losing my best friend to breast cancer in her early 30s. Her concerns were initially dismissed, and she finally accessed care too late. Her mother didn’t want breast cancer mentioned at her funeral, because she felt it would bring shame to her family. That is when I decided this film had to be made.
Resilient, courageous women of all races around the world are fighting breast cancer. But Black women are dealing with a triple burden: the cancer itself, worse outcomes, and often the stigma of shame.
David Ayeni, Director
The premiere for Shades of Survival is on Sunday 26 October at 16:05 at the Arts Picturehouse Cambridge, 38–39 St Andrew's Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AR.
This screening will include a short Q&A session at the end with David Ayeni (Director), Victoria Ekanoye (Anchor and Executive Producer) and Georgette Oni (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).
A second screening will take place on Tuesday 28 October at 14:05 at the Arts Picturehouse Cambridge.