Unlisted and director Julian Frost, in collaboration with Orphan and Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA), have created ‘A life should be long’, a moving animated film to coincide with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The heartwarming 2D film, narrated by a little boy, challenges the ways in which cancer is typically communicated. The boy tells of his dreams for the future – a future filled with adventure, fantastical stories and experiences that he hopes he will fulfill, but which are threatened by his cancer diagnosis.
Sadly, this isn’t some whimsical child’s fiction. Cancer cuts life short for hundreds of children in Australia every year - three per week - before they’ve even had the chance to make their mark on the world. And for those children who do survive, 70% are left to live a life marred by the side effects of harsh cancer treatment and the toll it takes.
Indeed, it is a difficult subject matter to digest, but with Frost’s signature, spirited illustrative style, this tale is reframed into a storybook narrative that aims to inspire. Says Frost of the film; “I hope we’ve captured a child’s-eye view of a kid’s future in a way that feels playful, sweet and genuinely childlike. Bringing you into a sick child’s inner world felt like it could frame donation as an act of hope, rather than despair. Plus, I got to draw a space-castle-pirate-ship which ridiculously few clients let me do.”
According to Unlisted Executive Producer Graham Pryor; “As soon as we were approached by Orphan, it felt tremendously important for us to produce this film and for Julian to direct. He’s so uniquely imaginative, with a style that possesses a childlike and mature duality. I don’t think anyone can watch this spot and not feel some sort of promise.”
The new A Life Should be Long campaign will run into 2023 across TV, radio, print, billboards, and social media.
