Face The Sun Movie Blog

We could really use a hand...

2010-09-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hi there, if you got a little time, I could really use your hand on this one... as you know we've just launched an exciting new online support campaign for 'Face the Sun.' http://www.indiegogo.com/Face-the-Sun?i=pite

I know everyone is busy, but if you have any time at all, I'd certainly appreciate it. We're immediately kicking back 10% to cancer groups and pushing the film forward with the rest. All revenue from the completed film will be targeted directly at cancer organizations helping families battle all forms of cancer.

Take care,

Mike

2010-08-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

After much encouragement form friends and supporters, we've just launched an exciting new online support campaign for 'Face the Sun.' http://www.indiegogo.com/Face-the-Sun?i=pite is the site. Take a moment to have a look and let me know what you think, and please spread the link far and wide! Every little bit of support moves us that much closer to the big screen. I look forward to continuing to work with you in the weeks and months ahead.

Mike

Please feel free to add your stories

2010-01-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

One of the really humbling aspects of this project has been making contact with so many of you who have shared your courageous stories with me. They have been so inspirational, and have kept us moving forward when things were difficult. Please feel free to post your stories here for others to read, or if you're working on blogs of your own, let's get a link going both here and on the 'Face the Sun, the Movie' Facebook group. Your words can make a world of difference.

Time to begin again

2010-01-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

After some time away from this project, it is time to, once again, renew our efforts. I want to take a moment to thank the many, many people who have remained in touch with me during that time, and have been so positive in your support of both me, and our work. In the weeks ahead, I'll be seeking your advice on how you'd like to see us move ahead in as quickly as possible. We've delayed too long, and many more women and their families are now being challenged by this terrible illness. I look forward to our work together. We can make a difference!

I need to step away for a while

2007-09-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

There has been much upheaval in my personal life in the past several weeks, and I'm finding I am unable to concentrate on anything but trying to put it back right side up. Thank you all for all of your tremendous support. I hope to see you soon. Keep up the fight.
Mike

For my Grandfather

2007-08-17T01:16:00.000-07:00

My Grandfather Walter Buck lost his long battle with cancer early Thursday morning. He was a kind and generous man who we will all miss very much.

Mike

Here's a simple idea!

2007-08-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

One of my students, who I didn't think cared at all about this project, just emailed me with an idea. He said he's been trying to remember to log in to the Face the Sun site to help with the hits and see what's new, but sometimes forgets. So to solve that, he set the Face the Sun website as his homepage on his computor. Now whenever he starts up the computor, the website gets hit even when he's actually logging in to chat with friends or do something else... clever lad that Gavin! Every little bit counts.

New Friends, Part 5 -- I'm too young for this

2007-08-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

Cancer survivor Matt Zachery launched an innovative website -- recently named on of Time Magazine's top 50 websites for 2007 -- called I'm too young for this. Hip, in your face and unapologetic Zachery's philosphy is get busy living. I couldn't agree more.

"Here's the deal—There are tons of awesome support services out there with programs just for adolescents and young adults and we're going to tell you about them because no one else does—not your doctor, your hospital...not even the mighty Internet. Why? We don't know. Frankly, we don't care. (It's not their fault, we suppose. Besides, who has the time to search? You've got cancer!)

We don't want you missing out on incredible opportunities like weekend spa retreats, online forums and blogs, social networks, camping excursions, fertility education, peer counseling, college scholarships, financial aid, happy hours and more! (Basically, all the things you never knew you always wanted—oh, and they're free!) What's more, many of the organizations who provide these services were founded by young adult survivors like you so they know what they're doing and can totally relate to what you're going through! So stop searching and start connecting with thousands of others just like you.

Now when you scream, "I'M TOO YOUNG FOR THIS!", at least you'll know you're not alone. (There's over a million of us in the US right now!) So welcome to your life + cancer; where remission is not a cure and survivorship is all the rage. Now get busy living!"

http://www.imtooyoungforthis.org

Quarter million hits... and still climbing!

2007-08-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you know that we've surpassed 250,000 hits on our little website.... wow... what else can I say?

Cool Face the Sun movie "stuff"

2007-08-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take some of the advice being offered by many of you -- and why wouldn't I, you've been bang on so far -- and I've set up a CafePress Face the Sun store to allow people to show their support in another way. Take a look at all the cool stuff that's available on the site. I've started the store with the sunflower logo that I've been using to this point, but if there are some logos or designs that you think would be good, let me know. I'd be glad to consider them. The CafePress store can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/facethesunmovie Thanks so much for your continued support.
Mike

New Friends, Part 4 -- National Breast Cancer Foundation

2007-08-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed how cancer organizations all over the world are showing their support for "Face the Sun." The most recent is the Texas based, National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need. Since its inception, NBCF has played a vital role in helping tens of thousands of women through educational programs and free mammograms. Because of the generous donations of both individuals and corporations, we have developed strong partnerships with medical facilities, associations and corporations across the country. We are grateful for their continued efforts in reaching out to save lives every day.

Visit their website today: http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org

Emails

2007-08-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

I get so many great emails from around the world that I thought it would be good to share some of them with you. I'll post them as comments to this blog... I'm sure there's a better way to do it, but I don't know what it is... lol. Enjoy.
Mike

Help -- we need personal breast cancer stories

2007-07-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

You all know that one of the key storylines in Face the Sun revolves around Kathy being misdiagnosed because she's. "too young to get breast cancer."

Equally important to me is that it is the first feature film to look closely at breast cancer and its impact on families. Cancer doesn't strike in isolation. Everyone around the patient is impacted as well. And we want this story to highlight that.

Here'es where you come in. We want to know if the story we're telling is unique, or if the experience of Kathy Anderson mirrors that of other women around the world. We need you to tell us your stories. Please include things like; how old were you when you were first diagnosed? Did you discover it yourself? How did your doctor/the medical profession respond? How did your family and friends deal with the diagnosis? What types of treatments did you persue?

Please also add anything else that you think might be helpful in making sure this story is told the way it needs to be told -- with as much dignity and courage as the families who confront the illness everyday demonstrate. We owe them that.

Mike

New Friends, Part 3 -- CancerCreatives

2007-07-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

One of the most energetuic people I've met on this journey has been Matt LeVeque of Haverton, PA. Matt's innovative website, CancerCreatives, was the very first US based website to offer support for Face the Sun, and for that I will always be grateful.

About Cancer Creatives & Matt LeVeque: Matt is himself a cancer survivor - Thyroid Cancer 1998 - and over the past 8 years he has been increasingly more involved with the cancer community by fundraising, volunteering his time and, most recently, lobbying on Capitol Hill for cancer survivorship rights, funding and action with the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Along the way he has come across various ways different groups raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. The most common are the walks, runs and bike rides. "Everyone has got 'em and everyone has participated- yours included. And not that there is anything wrong with the traditional events, but maybe if we are collectively more creative in raising cancer awareness, fundraising, etc. we might begin to find new and creative ways to be rid of this disease once and for all."

The Cancer Creatives Foundation was created to recognize unique, interesting and off-beat projects that educate and raise awareness towards the fight against cancer. If you have a cancer related project that raises awareness, funds or just because, send it for review and possible inclusion on this site.

http://www.cancercreatives.com

New Friends: Part 2 -- Hope 4 Hooters

2007-07-29T06:37:00.001-07:00

One of the great fundraising events that goes on is the life changing Weekend to End Breast Cancer. A number of the teams walking in this years event in Vancouver, have really gone out of their way to support the Face the Sun project. Hope 4 Hooters is well on their way to raising their target of $10,000 dollars. Here's their myspace self-description:

Well, we are Team "Hope 4 Hooters" if you haven't guessed. We are all registered with the endcancer.ca "weekend to end breast cancer" organization and are going to be participating in an amazing 2-day, 60 kilometre walk through the neighborhoods of Vancouver on august 17-19 2007. In order to do this, we must reach individual and team goals in terms of fundraising. All donations and proceeds of fundraisers go DIRECTLY to the BC Cancer Foundation and are used to help cover the costs of Breast Cancer research, education, services, and patient care. Our team consists of four members, two of which have already done the walk last year with amazing results and memories to last forever. It was an emotional and truly moving experience they say and are extremely proud to have gone through it together. These two members are the team's captain Alison, and Danielle. The two new recruits are Emilee and Tori. Together, we hope to raise $10,000 as a team for this very worthy cause. We would all appreciate your support in our journey.

Go to their web page and take a look at what they've put together. http//www.endcancer.ca/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=1203&team_id=25028 Well done ladies!

Some amazing new friends!

2007-07-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how many fabulous people are contacting us to show their support, not just for Face the Sun, but for the many thousands and thousands of voluteers and fundraisers who are out there every day working towards a cure. Over the next few days I'll be posting some of their stories and websites so you can seewhat I'm seeing; the world is full of great people, trying to cope and doing their part.

The first person I want you to meet is Judi Grove. She's from Tulsa, Oklahoma and is the co-founder of Breast Impressions, faced a breast cancer scare and learned about Keep A Breast Foundation on the Internet. She wanted to make a cast of her own breasts in case her diagnosis indicated a mastectomy was necessary. She needed the materials to do this, and contacted Nancy Coryell, owner of Anticipation Ultrasound Studio in Tulsa, OK. Judi and Nancy met, shared stories and the philosophy of the Keep A Breast Foundation. They knew there was a need to raise breast cancer awareness in Oklahoma. Together they started Breast Impressions .. Breast Impressions Casting! Go to www.breastimpressions.com and take a look at their outstanding work. Leave a note, tell them I sent you!

Let me know you were here.

2007-07-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Don't be shy! Leave a comment here so that I know you were here, and so others know what you think of the project. Make sure you include where you're from. People have no idea how far and wide this has gone. I know because I get all of your great emails, but it's time to connect with with each other.

Breast Cancer study needs US volunteers

2007-07-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Is breast cancer caused by something women come in contact with at work, at home, in their communities or in the personal products they use? That’s what the Sister Study is trying to answer. The Sister Study needs 50,000 US based women whose sisters had breast cancer, to enroll now, to help discover the environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer. Conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Sister Study is committed to enrolling a diverse population of women to ensure the results represent and benefit all women. For more information visit www.sisterstudy.org or www.estudiodehermanas.org. Call toll-free 1-877-4SISTER. Deaf/Hard of Hearing call 1-866-TTY-4SIS.

Wow!

2007-07-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for your early work in getting the word out about the film. In the last three days you've helped generate some 12,000 more hits on the website, boosting the total hits to over 235,000!!! well done. We've got lots of time to keep pushing that total higher and higher. Remember, the higher the hits total, the clearer it will be to investors and distributors that they need to be involved with this film.

Weekend to End Breast Cancer

2007-07-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

If you haven't signed up to experience this amazing weekend, you should. My wife has done it twice and she says it's nothing short of life changing. I want to know, who's walking this year? Who walked before? Post some of your most treasured memories of the walk. Help build the community by sharing moments that can inspire others to take up the challenge. Remember, every great journey begins with a single step, for some, your post may be it!

Get the word out!

2007-07-17T15:24:00.001-07:00

One of the keys to the success of Face the Sun will be to use our internet and email links to spread the word about the film website, www.facethesunmovie.com. Any work that people can do in that regard would be greatly appreciated. The more hits we get on the website the clearer it is to investors that they need to be involved in supporting this project. Let me know what you think you can do to help spread the word.

Onward and upward!!!

2007-07-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

After a couple of very frustrating months of starts and stops, we are back on the right track... and no that isn't a train coming towards us. Working closely with the great folks at Bay Film Studios in Maple Bay on Vancouver Island, we are moving ever closer to being able to start work on what will be a wonderful adventure. Many thanks to the thousands of you who have continued to email your support for Face the Sun. Some days it felt like it would have been easier to quit than go on, but your letters, cards and emails kept us going forward. Stay tuned for more news, and thank you all very much.
Mike

Tara Spencer-Nairn to play Kathy

2006-12-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased to announce that Corner Gas co-star Tara Spencer-Nairn will play the role of Kathy Anderson in "Face the Sun". Recognized as one of Canada's top actresses, Tara brings a wealth of experience, and immense talent to the table. Tara has repeatedly expressed her enthusiasm for both the project, and for shooting the film on Vancouver island, and she is very much looking forward to the challenge.

A message from the Divas

2006-12-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

The Cowichan Valley Dragon Divas salute you! We are a team of dragonboating women who have been through diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Our ages range from late forties to early seventies, however some of our members were diagnosed in their thirties. We are committed to advocating for our own health, to being fit, and to having fun.
We are proud to support the endeavours of the production team for Face the Sun, a movie that will tell some of the truths about breast cancer - that entire families are impacted by this disease, that early diagnosis is criticial, and that we are never too young to hear those heart-stopping words, 'you have breast cancer.' Thanks for your vision and determination to tell our stories.
Laura
On behalf of the Cowichan Valley Dragon Divas
www.dragondivas.ca

BC Cancer Foundation set to endorse "Face the Sun"

2006-12-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

In a major development this week, the BC Cancer Foundation is on the verge of announcing that it will fully endorse "Face the Sun". As the leading fundraiser for cancer research in British Columbia, the BC Cancer Foundation's blessing is critical to ensuring that the films messages of hope, courage and forgiveness are heard. Watch this blog in the days ahead for the official release, and for both key funding and casting announcements!

Some of the feedback we've gotten so far

2006-12-07T21:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Mike,
This is wonderful that you are actually reaching out. I come from a family of " Breast Cancer Females" You might ask why?
Well: 27 Year old Sister passed away from Breast Cancer after misdiagnosis. She had just had a baby and was breast feeding and the doctors thought it was an abscess, by the time they realized what it was , it was too late.
* Mom died about 7 years after she was also wrongly diagnosed. She had no lump, but a small area of discomfort around her breast. She had a series of test that were inconclusive, and a first Biopsy also was not conclusive. She received a second biopsy that eventually gave the mass away. She did not make it.
After all these events, I decided to take the entire situation in perspective and fight back..
I have two other sisters and believe it or not, about 9 years ago, I actually forced one of them into a mammogram. That saved her life. She is a 9 year survivor thanks to prompt intervention. My advice to all women is to always ASK QUESTIONS, SEEK SECOND OPINIONS; IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ASK.
I am currently a writer and my hope is to make a difference in the lives of those who do not know. Congratulations on this step and I wish you well. If u need me to do anything, please feel free to ask.
Tai

Welcome to the "Face the Sun" blog

2006-12-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

I thought some of you might be interested in a project I've started.

Three years ago I watched helplessly as my wife lost a close childhood friend to breast cancer after she was originally misdiagnosed, and told she was too young to get breast cancer. Diane courageously battled the illness, enduring both mainstream and alternative treatments, all the while reminding those around her of the precious nature of each day of life. In an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer, and to pay tribute to Diane, I spent the years since her passing writing a screen play which follows a young woman and family dealing with breast cancer. Through the recently formed, Sunflower Pictures, that script is now in what is referred to as the "pre-production phase". The response to the story has been very strong. In support of the film, and to coincide with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we've launched a website that not only talks about the film, but provides women with the information they need to be properly informed about this terrible disease.

The film website is www.facethesunmovie.com Take a moment to visit the site, watch the videos, visit the linked websites and send the message to your friends reminding them of the importance of regular mammograms. Your support of this project is critical to ensuring that women of all ages understand that breast cancer isn't an illness that just affects other people. Furthermore, when "Face the Sun" is released theatrically a percentage of the net profits will be donated to breast cancer research. Let us know what you think of the website, and what you think of the project. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Take care.

Sincerely,
Mike Moroz, Producer
Sunflower Pictures