TPFF Film Club: Pink Ribbons Inc

Pink Ribbons Inc

(97 mins) Directed by Lea Pool for the National Film Board of Canada

Tuesday 13^th November 6.30pm for 7pm

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month – and ‘pink’ is all around. But not everyone is caught up in ‘pink’. Tipping Point Film Fund in association with The Alliance for Cancer Prevention hosts a screening of Pink Ribbons Inc – first screened in the UK at Human Rights Watch Film Festival earlier this year – and which delves into depoliticisation of breast cancer epidemic.

While Pink Ribbons, Inc. doesn’t seek to undermine those who gain hope, strength and a sense of community from pink ribbon fundraising, Lea Pool does ask critical questions about the industry and the pink ribbon brand. She interviews Samantha King, author of the book Pink Ribbons, Inc.

In the film, King reflects: “It wasn’t until Reagan came to power that we saw explicit policies designed to shift responsibility for health and welfare from the government towards private entities, philanthropic organizations, along with the encouragement specifically for corporations to participate in that.” Or as Reagan himself said, “A buck for business if it helps to solve our social ills.” She suggests that the big players in the cancer establishment also have boards of directors with representatives from the pharmaceutical, chemical and energy industries. It is thus almost impossible to separate the people who might be responsible for the perpetuation of this disease from those who are responsible for trying to find a way to cure or, even better, to prevent it.

Film Trailer Here:

Post-Film Discussion with Helen Lynn and Margo Marrone

There has been a longstanding effort on the part of campaigners, activists and researchers alike to draw attention to the much marginalised concerns about the lack of funding for and attention to environmental links to breast cancer. We are delighted to have some of the most experienced and committed individuals in this area join is for the post film discussion which will explore both the issues raised in the film and with specific reference to the UK landscape. TPFF’s Deborah Burton will chair, who, prior to her work with TPFF, spent many years campaigning on environmental links to breast cancer.

Helen Lynn

Helen Lynn has campaigned on cancer prevention since 1995, initially at the Women’s Environmental with Putting Breast Cancer on the Map and the No More Breast Cancer campaign. She is currently a freelance campaigner/researcher at Wildcard Research and facilitates the Alliance for Cancer Prevention in the UK. Helen also reviewed the film here on the Alliance for Cancer Prevention’s website.

Margo Marrone

Margo Marrone is a pharmacist and homeopath who first became aware of chemical overload on the human body during the 1990s. She opened her first Organic Pharmacy store in London in 2002 to address this ever growing concern about chemicals in cosmetics and built the business on the principles of honesty, integrity, purity, quality and green environmental thinking. Ten years on it is still a family run business and one that has supported campaigns addressing environmental links to breast cancer.