Indy8’s Liz Unna Directs Breast Cancer Spot “Pink Bra” For Marks & Spencer

Indy8 Director Liz Unna has teamed up with advertising agency Grey London and Marks & Spencer to produce the emotionally powerful film ‘Life, love, laughter and breast cancer. In our words’. The spot is for a campaign with the charity Breast Cancer Now, which sees the retailer donating twenty percent of proceeds from sales of its pink bra to the charity until the end of October.

At the heart of the film are real women dealing with breast cancer, who speak with raw emotion about their experiences. Through their honest portrayals, the emotional and physical challenges of facing the illness are highlighted, and the viewer shares in the laughs but also understands how the women are facing a terrifying loss. It is through this contrast that the spot is able to reflect the multitude of emotions that people diagnosed with cancer must confront. To this end, the contributors come from all walks of life and of all ages, further underlining that breast cancer affects women everywhere.

As a director who is incredibly attuned to the feelings in a room, Liz Unna spent time with all the contributors to establish meaningful connections and gain their trust. The vulnerability of the women, combined with the sensitivity of the subject meant that one element critical to the production was ensuring that the contributors had a safe space where they could feel relaxed and open up to the cameras.

As the icon of the film the pink bra appears regularly throughout, sometimes being worn, sometimes on the floor and sometimes just the straps. The subtlety with which this is done connects all the women and acts as the symbol of defiance, yet at times almost incidental to the stories of the contributors.

To complement the natural, raw and intimate feel of the film the lines said by the women are used to drive its pacing and lyricism – they enhance the poetry of the imagery, which is shot in domestic spaces such as bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways. All the scenes feel lived in and real so that the viewer is able to identify with them – they are familiar, well-loved, and with a sense of Marks & Spencer style.

Indy8 Director Liz Unna says: “Working with these 7 incredible women was truly life-affirming and moving.  We wanted to give an authentic representation of breast cancer, without glossing over it or playing sad violins. The film is funny, sexy and defiant, just like them. It was such a pleasure and an honour to make.”