A very special screening of ‘The People There to Catch Us’ took place at the Stella Cinema, Rathmines for World Cancer Research Day on September 24th.
‘The People There to Catch Us’ tells the story of Tom Hope and Rachel O’Mahony, two cancer survivors who work alongside researchers at Precision Oncology Ireland (POI), to help improve the lives of others living with the disease. The documentary was produced by Ronan Cassidy of Carbonated Comet and directed by Luke Brabazon under CÚRAM’s ‘Science on Screen’ public engagement programme. This was the second public screening of the film, having premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in June.
The documentary shines a light on the lived experience of cancer survivors, their contribution to the research and the ongoing work of research centres like CÚRAM and Precision Oncology Ireland that will shape how cancer will be treated in the future.
The screening was followed by a lively panel discussion and Q&A with film participants Dr Róisín Dwyer (POI Investigator, University of Galway), Prof. William Gallagher (POI Deputy Director, UCD Conway Institute and Co-Lead, AICRI), and Prof. Walter Kolch (POI Director, UCD) alongside Director Luke Brabazon, Dr Ruth Freeman, Director, Science for Society at SFI and Grainne Humphreys, Festival Director at Dublin International Film Festival.
Speaking about the screening, Claire Riordan, Public Engagement Manager with CÚRAM said ‘Screenings like this allow us to have important conversations about research outside of the lab with the people that will be affected by it. We want to provide opportunities for people to learn both about the research and the lived experience of the conditions that are highlighted in the film, like we have today with Toma and Rachel again giving of their time so generously in the panel discussion’.
This is the seventh Science on Screen Documentary produced since 2016. This is a joint initiative between CÚRAM and Ardán, the non-profit organisation across Ireland to support creatives within the audio-visual industry. ‘The People There to Catch Us’ was produced in collaboration with POI and the Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR) and funded by CÚRAM, the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI), the UCD-Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) and the National Breast Cancer Research Institute (NBCRI).
The Science on Screen partnership explores methods of scientific ‘storytelling’ producing short films that incorporate current research at CÚRAM and its partners. These documentaries are available for community and educational screenings nationwide. Find out more at https://curamdevicesengage.ie/resources/science-on-screen/