A Touching Short Film About a Rare & Terrifying Disease, Made By a 17 Year Old Director
After witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of an extremely rare disease, Carl Mason, a 17 year old filmmaker, set out on a mission.
Carl's neighbor, a young girl named Hollie Carter, was diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C in 2007. The genetic disease affects roughly 800 people in the entire world, most of whom are young children, and it has a range of symptoms that can be likened to early-onset Alzheimers and dementia. In truth though, it's far more malevolent than that, as it slowly shuts down the body's most critical functions. Most children who are diagnosed with Niemann-Pick C don't live past their teenage years.
After meeting Hollie and learning about the disease, Carl set out to use the medium of film to raise awareness about Niemann-Pick Type C. His drive and tenacity led to an outpouring of support from a who's who of British film and television professionals, including an award-winning screenwriter and crew members from Broadchurch, Doctor Who, Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Channel 4 Drama and BBC Worldwide. He premiered the film, which is entitled IMAGINE, at a charity event for Hollie in his hometown of Milton Keynes. Since then it has helped raise worldwide awareness of NP-C, as well as nearly $10,000 in donations to NP-C charities.
Here's the film that Carl created:
Here are a few select BTS photos from the set of IMAGINE:
You can learn more about Carl, Hollie, Niemann-Pick Type C, and all of the impressive work that went into this short film over on the IMAGINE website. If you've got any questions about the film, leave them down in the comments!Source: Imagine - Short Film