Don't Be Embarrassed
Embarrassed: a Sir Steve McQueen film, produced by Lammas Park.
Male Cancer Awareness Campaign is pleased to introduce Embarrassed: a Sir Steve McQueen film, produced by Lammas Park. The film and subsequent campaign have been created to help raise awareness of prostate cancer within the black community.
The initiative is supported by British brand Belstaff and features Idris Elba OBE, Chiwetel Ejiofor CBE, Micheal Ward and Morgan Freeman. The film was recently screened at Tate Britain in London, which I attended, in the gallery where Sir Steve McQueen has previously exhibited.
A study by Public Health England published in July 2015 by BMC Medicine showed that 1 in 4 black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 1 in 12 black men will die from the disease. When compared to the results for other major ethnic groups in England, this data shows that black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with, and lose their lives to, prostate cancer than white men.
This campaign raises awareness by highlighting these statistics for all men. Its mission is to encourage men to arm themselves with knowledge and overcome the stigma and embarrassment around getting tested – because early diagnosis saves lives.
Six years ago, Male Cancer Awareness Campaign set about generating a hard-hitting awareness campaign to highlight this information to the black community to effect change. Patrick Cox, the charity’s Founder and now Volunteer CEO, set his sights on securing British filmmaker and visual artist Sir Steve McQueen to direct and co-produce this important campaign film to capture the attention of the community.
“We are asking the black community to start the conversation about prostate cancer with family, friends, work colleagues and the wider community. Black men are in the higher risk category from prostate cancer and early detection is key. We know this film has the ability to help save lives. Don’t be embarrassed.”
Patrick Cox, Founder and Volunteer CEO, MCAC
Embarrassed aims to dispel the myths around prostate cancer and has three main goals: to raise awareness, to get men and their families to talk about the subject more openly and to encourage more black men to ask their doctors for a simple PSA blood test. The fourth, more ambitious, goal of the campaign is to encourage the British Government and health authorities to change current protocols to allow automatic PSA testing of black men aged 45 and over, as this is a higher-risk demographic.
The 60-second film features an award-winning line-up of male actors, with Sir Steve McQueen helping to cast the talent. The cast spans generations to reach the widest possible audience. Although prostate cancer is more common among men over 50, educating young men on the subject is essential to spreading awareness. The three British actors were shot in London, with Morgan Freeman shot in the USA. When the pandemic hit, Sir Steve McQueen and his Lammas Park team had to pivot to remote directing to finish the film.
The Keynote speech on the night was given by leading Consultant Urological Surgeon Professor Francis Chinegwundoh MBE, a revered speaker and researcher who first published the research into the black community in the UK.
“I became a consultant in 1996 and it was then that I began to notice a lot of black men were being diagnosed with prostate cancer. There were no statistics on ethnicity and outpatients, so I dedicated time to research this and found that the risk of prostate cancer in black men was three-fold. Twenty-five years later and these statistics are still not as widely known or talked about enough. Therefore, it is so important to have campaigns like Embarrassed by MCAC, with the talent involved in the project to help propel the message and to encourage black men over 45 to ask for the PSA blood test. My message to men is to take responsibility for their health and get an annual check-up. The earlier prostate cancer is treated, the better the outcome.” Says, Professor Francis Chinegwundoh MBE, MBBS MS MML (Med Law) FRCS(Eng) FRCS(Ed) FRCS(Urol) FEBU
Professor Greg Whyte OBE PhD DSc FBASES FACSM, who is an MCAC Ambassador, former Olympian, world-renowned sports scientist, and celebrity trainer, introduced the event. He says, “The charity sector has suffered over the pandemic and yet they provide an essential service in optimising the health and quality of life of the population. Given the significant impact of COVID-19 on cancer care raising awareness of male cancer is absolutely crucial. Embarrassed is a truly outstanding and important film that will undoubtedly change and save lives. I am honoured to be part of such an important campaign for positive change in our society.”
The film is being made available to the public to post across social platforms and MCAC plan to take the campaign on the road to community groups and councils to spread awareness even further as part of a volunteer lead project in the UK & Ireland.
The charity recognises that with greater public awareness and widespread support it hopes to inspire future research to help discover why black men are disproportionally affected. Prostate cancer is curable if caught and treated in the very early stages. The message of the campaign is simple, don’t be embarrassed.
More on the film and campaign.
#Embarrassed #StartTheConversation #ProstateCancer
