Hollywood is in London Thursday night with the sold-out Canadian premiere of Decoding Annie Parker, which will benefit breast cancer care at St. Joseph’s Health Care.
The movie tells the story of two incredible women, one of them a Canadian, and a discovery that's affected women around the world.
Decoding Annie Parker was inspired by the true story of Anne Parker, who now lives in Brampton. She was among the first women to be found positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation.
It's also the story of Mary-Claire King, the tenacious American geneticist who tracked down the genes responsible for breast and ovarian cancers.
Steven Bernstein, the movie's writer and director, is in London for the gala screening. He says "To me, medium-sized cities like London are what this film is about."
The movie boasts an all-star cast including Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton.
"What was remarkable about Helen, Samantha…this incredible cast that we have, is that they responded to two things. First they felt the film was about something important, and secondly they loved the script."
Angelina Jolie recently shone the spotlight on genetics and breast cancer, and Bernstein hopes his movie will strike a chord with audiences.
"The essence is about human courage, it's about the affirmation of life. And interestingly even though it's about cancer, it's about humour. It's about how humour and irony gives us a certain strength that we don't think we have."
The screening at Westmount Cinemas will not only raise awareness of breast cancer, it will raise money to support the Diane Graham Memorial Fund for breast cancer screening at St. Joseph’s.
Event organizer Stacey Graham says “The London community itself, in terms of purchasing tickets and coming out this evening, has been amazing. We are 100 per cent sold out and we couldn't be happier."
Decoding Annie Parker will be widely released in cinemas in the New Year.
For more on the film visit: http://decodingannieparkerfilm.com/
