Learning on ScreenWe Need to Talk About Dying
Someone in Britain dies every minute but many risk missing out on having their end of life wishes met due to a reluctance to talk about dying, death and bereavement. Joe Levenson, of the Dying Matters Coalition, discusses the importance of media in getting its message across.
About the author: Joe Levenson is Director of Communications at the Dying Matters Coalition.
Although someone in Britain dies every minute, many people risk missing out on having their end of life wishes met, and leaving a mess behind for those close to them because of a reluctance to talk about dying, death and bereavement. That’s why the Dying Matters Coalition was set up in 2009 by the National Council for Palliative Care With a fast growing membership, which currently stands at 30,000, including charities, care homes, hospices, funeral directors and individuals, Dying Matters is at the forefront of changing attitudes and behaviour around dying.
Dying Matters has found film to be a particularly useful medium. Whether it has been through thought-provoking short films or light hearted explorations of the role of humour, our films have been an instrumental part of our strategy to challenge social attitudes and encourage a more open approach to discussing death.
The first short film that we produced, A Party for Kath, set out to expose the lack of communication that exists around death and to highlight how planning for death can have a positive impact. The film, which was awarded “highly commended” at the 2010 International Visual Communications Association (IVCA) Clarion Awards, was well scripted and humorous, with the Canon 5D giving it a cinematic quality.
In a similar vein, we produced two further films, Dying to Know and I didn’t want that. Dying to Know, which was selected for the Cannes Short Film corner in 2012, began life as a theatre play. The screenplay, written by Helen Reading, Director of the Red Tie Theatre Company on the Isle of Wight, was adapted into a film by Flix Films starring the original cast following their successful UK tour. The thirty-minute film explores family dynamics and the different needs which can arise when a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal condition. Filmed entirely on location on the Isle of Wight and with the support of Earl Mountbatten Hospice, local businesses and residents, many of whom came on board as extras, the film has been invaluable in raising public awareness and training healthcare professionals.
