Director's Works
Breathe Hope Brandon Kapelow
Brandon Kapelow is a visual storyteller from Wyoming whose credits span work as a director, photographer and cinematographer. As a suicide loss survivor from an early age, Brandon has a passion for exploring topics related to mental health, which is his current focus as the Western Media Fellow at Stanford University's Bill Lane Center for the American West. Outside of his creative practice, Brandon is a peer-support group facilitator for individuals impacted by suicide loss. Based between LA, Vancouver and Wyoming, Brandon's home is on the road - inspired by changing landscapes and the people that inhabit them.
This film was created in order to aid in CCS’s signature annual fundraising campaign, and was presented in April at their flagship event - the Daffodil Ball. Angus personally attended the gala to present the film, which helped contribute to a record-breaking $4.4m in donations. This money is being used to fund life-saving cancer research around what remains one of the world’s leading causes of death. When Angus Pratt was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, he was given a 5% chance of surviving for five years. That was six years ago, and today Angus lives on as a fierce advocate for cancer patients and survivors both locally in Canada and on the international stage, traveling abroad to lend his voice and lived experience to the expert forums leading the global conversation on cancer research. Angus’ passion is for reducing the stigma surrounding lung cancer - a consequence he feels has resulted from years of messaging around anti-smoking campaigns that have left the public feeling that victims deserve cancer as result of lifestyle choices they’ve made. As a lifelong non-smoker, Angus is a living testament to the individuals who are excluded from that narrative, and his focus is on changing the language that gets used to talk about his disease. Angus wants the world to know that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. Despite being the deadliest form of the disease, the stigma surrounding lung cancer has meant that only .1% of cancer donations are contributed towards lung cancer annually. Angus has dedicated the remainder of his life to combatting this critical issue about which he is so deeply passionate, and to help alleviate the burdens on his peers who struggle with the stigma and discomforts caused by an advanced cancer diagnosis. Drawing on his background as an EMT, he works closely with the Canadian Cancer Society as a patient advocate, a policy advisor, and a peer-support facilitator both through in-person gatherings and online forums. The story traces Angus’ involvement in each of these core aspects of his advocacy work, serving as a testament to the many ways in which we can enrich the lives of others through vulnerability and sharing our struggles.