FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Boyd McCollum, BolderLife Festival
Cell: (303) 913-8603
boydmcc2@gmail.com

www.bolderlifefestival.com 

BOULDERLIFE FESTIVAL JOINS GLOBAL ALS FILM EVENT

Over 110 Screenings in 26 Countries to Benefit ALS Research

Boulder, CO – (June 17, 2013) – This year, on 21 June, in a wee village in Scotland a small group will get together to watch a film about a man who died from ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known internationally as Motor Neurone Disease (MND). At the same time, in a cinema in Beijing, people will be arriving from across the sprawling city to see the film, I AM BREATHING. From Russia, Mexico, Kosovo, Kenya, India, Bahrain, Australia and now Boulder, Colorado, people across the world have volunteered to host the film – in village halls, schools, churches, living rooms, pubs, and theaters.

These communities have been inspired by the story of Neil Platt, who died aged 34, 14 months after being diagnosed with ALS/MND. He was determined more people should know about the disease.

Within a year, Neil went from being a healthy young father to becoming completely immobile from the neck down. As his body got weaker, he used his remaining months to communicate about his illness. He collaborated with the filmmakers on I AM BREATHING, wrote a blog, and committed himself to raising awareness around this devastating disease. He was determined to play a part in making ALS/MND history and this fuelled his desire to share his story and build a community of people to join the fight.

That desire, to build a community joined in common cause, is one of the reasons Erin Kelly, the Artistic Director of the BolderLife Festival, was eager to be part of this unique global event. “Ultimately, the BolderLife Festival seeks to promote a more conscious approach to life and death, whether on a personal, community or global level through media and the arts,” she said. “I AM BREATHING, as a film and an event, exemplifies a new way for people around the world to create a community and make a difference in our lives.”

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) first gained national prominence in the U.S. in 1939 when baseball legend Lou Gehrig, in the prime of his life and career, was diagnosed with the disease. Gehrig died two years after his diagnosis. Just this past week, former governor of Massachusetts Paul Cellucci, died from the disease, also two years after being diagnosed.

Neil Platt began a campaign – a campaign that he expected us all to finish. “At the end of this campaign lies a cure,” Neil wrote on his blog in 2009. “I am not talking about miraculous cures, you will all have gathered by now that I am a realist. I’m talking about my living a little longer, giving me the chance to impart more knowledge.”

June 21 is ALS/MND Global Awareness Day. On this day there will be over 110 screenings in 26 countries of the film I AM BREATHING. This is a chance for people in Boulder to come together with thousands of others around the world to make a difference for people like Neil Platt and everyone who has, or knows someone who has, ALS.

ABOUT

For information on the Boulder screening: http://www.iambreathingfilm.com/boyd/i_am_breathing_in_14.

For information on the film and to watch the trailer: http://www.iambreathingfilm.com/film.

For information on the BolderLife Festival: http://www.bolderlifefestival.com

Stay updated with us though our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BolderLife

To obtain a screener, contact Boyd McCollum at 303-913-8603 or boydmcc2@gmail.com

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