Funeral Day: A Film That’s Planting the Seed and Sparking Awareness
Industry: Non Profit & Charity
Funeral Day, a darkly funny feature film, joins forces with the Testicular Cancer Society via the crowdfunding platform Seed&Spark.
Cincinnati, OH (PRUnderground) December 18th, 2014
Several clicks after seeing a Tweet from director/co-producer Jon Weinberg, Mike Craycraft, the founder of the Testicular Cancer Society, landed on a crowdfunding page on Seed&Spark for the independent film Funeral Day.
“I immediately had to reach out to Jon and see how the Testicular Cancer Society could get involved in helping bring the film to life,” says Craycraft. “The film’s storyline was so close to my own that it really hit home.”
Funeral Day is a comedy about a young man who believes he has found a lump on his testicle and thinks he might be dying, so he skips his friend’s funeral (who actually did die of cancer) in an attempt to start living his own life to the fullest.
“Since Funeral Day is a narrative film, partnering with an outside organization wasn’t the first thing on my mind. It’s something I associate more with docs,” says Weinberg, “But after talking to Mike, the ability to make a difference by working together seemed like an exciting opportunity.”
After feeling a lump the main character in Funeral Day refuses to go to the doctor. This reluctance to see a doctor is not uncommon in men. Craycraft, a testicular cancer survivor, waited seven months after feeling his lump before he went to the doctor.
“For seven months I ended up living like I was dying. I even threw my own ‘going away’ party because I was so convinced I was going to die. But I never told anyone that’s what I was doing, or that any of this was going on,” says Craycraft. “This film is going to be an invaluable tool in helping us not just raise awareness about testicular cancer but to help change how guys address their health issues.”
As part of the partnership, the Testicular Cancer Society will help bring the film to fruition. In return, the society will be able to incorporate the film into their testicular cancer education and awareness programs. Both the society and the producers of the film hope that by engaging in co-promotion, more men (and the woman in their lives) will become aware of testicular cancer and reduce delays they have in seeking care.
“We chose Seed&Spark as our crowdfunding platform because they are all about making a healthier environment in which to make films,” says Weinberg. “Now we not only have the opportunity to bring a great film to life, but actually help make men’s lives healthier too. And hopefully bring some laughs along the way”
To learn more about Funeral Day’s Seed&Spark campaign visit: https://www.seedandspark.com/studio/funeral-day
Funeral Day is the debut feature film of co-directors Jon Weinberg and Ronnie Butler. It stars Tyler Labine (Deadbeat, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil), Tygh Runyan (Stargate Universe, the upcoming Versailles), Suzy Nakamura (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Horrible Bosses 2), Dominic Rains (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Flashforward) and many others. It was written by Kris Elgstrand, an award winning screenwriter whose most recent film, Songs She Wrote About People She Knows, premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
About Testicular Cancer Society
Testicular Cancer Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity to reduce the burden of testicular cancer by increasing education and awareness and providing support services for fighters, survivors and caregivers.
