After a successful first year in 2008, the world’s first breast cancer film festival, Breast Fest is back! Breast Fest offers films, panels, workshops and speakers to educate people, engage them in dialogue, and create a community for people affected by the disease. Breast Fest opens November 20th and runs through November 22th. Breast Fest is run by Rethink Breast Cancer, a charity that helps people affected by breast cancer with breast cancer education, research and support. It’s all about community!

The opening film for Breast Fest will be the premiere of Rethink’s documentary film About Her. It tells the stories of Canadian women living with HER2-positive breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. One of the major themes in the film is the importance of storytelling in the healing process; one of the participants in the film, Lisa Rendall, remarked, “I have been living with metastatic breast cancer for nine years . . . I hope to highlight the role of storytelling in the healing process and maybe even make someone else’s journey a little bit easier.” The support and inspiration that Breast Fest offers with films like About Her, panels and workshops is a resource that we’re lucky to have.

Other films at Breast Fest will include the dark comedy Jona’s Body, Please Hold, a film by three-time cancer survivor Jonna Tamases, as well as FLAT, an Israeli film that gives a futuristic take on breast cancer awareness.

Everyone knows someone affected by breast cancer, so come out to support the women you love! Screenings take place at the ROM Theatre (100 Queens Park), visit breastfestfilmfest.com to view show times and purchase tickets.