On 2 December, in Rome, at the Cloister of the Commendatore, in Borgo S. Spirito, the fifth edition of the “A side of courage” competition was launched, an initiative promoted by the Roche foundation and dedicated to women living with an oncological disease and onco-haematological, the winner of the fourth edition was also awarded. It was an event that Formiche.net had the opportunity to follow, meeting the protagonists of this evening which saw the participation of many important guests. Angelo Tanese, general director of ASL Roma 1, recalled the role that this award plays in terms of awareness and attention to the great battle that so many women face every day, with the help of doctors and health personnel. However, help is not enough, if there is no help from family, companions, friends. Gianni Letta, to introduce the evening, retraced the history of the place, the hospital of S. Spirito in Sassia, highlighting a historical continuity, from the time of its construction to today, which signals how sensitivity and solidarity are traits that characterize the our country. Essential dimensions of an Italian and European identity that the Roche foundation, in the “Alongside Courage” award, preserves and relaunches as a mission, in an absolutely creative and paradigmatic way. Letta recalled how Roche made a very important contribution to Italian society even in the period of Covid, and pointed out how the presence of Minister Franceschini, who promoted the restoration of the place where the event took place, represents the concrete sign of a disposition to care that becomes culture, art, an inhabited and frequented setting.
The message that the award wants to give – said Gianni Letta – and that taking care, with courage, with attention, with solidarity, is what makes us reach the goal of Hope. The first and the most important step of the therapy “.
The stories presented in the competition, in the form of a short story then translated into a short film, were evaluated by a very composite jury. Doctors, cinema experts, journalists.
The chronicler Angela Coarelli ; the producer Marco Berardi ; the president of Aiom Saverio Cinieri ; Marco Costa , director of Mediaset; Sergio Del Prete , director of the Anica Academy; the president of ANICA, Francesco Rutelli ;Elisabetta Iannelli , vice president of Aimac and general secretary of Favo (federation of voluntary associations in oncology), recently appointed knight of the republic by President Mattarella; Giovanni Parapini , Rai Director for Social Affairs; Enrico Vanzina, director and constant presence of the award; Emanuela Zoccaro , communication manager of the AIL (Italian leukemia association).
Three finalist stories: “The true courage” by Umberto Truda ; “Il cane Yago” by Attilio C. Pozzi ; “Il trenino” by Alessio Secci .
After the presentation of the three finalist stories, selected from 58 participants, Maurizio De Cicco took the floor, CEO of Roche Italia, who did not hide the emotion aroused by the three short films, and reiterated that the theme of presence, accompaniment, and closeness is really the origin of Hope. De Cicco has traced a link between some significant events of the past, and the founding of Roche, from which 125 years have now passed. A time in which this great family has pursued the mission of making the world a better place, through its products, its people, the stories it writes and helps to write (such as those that competed for the prize), because culture it becomes fertile humus for integral human progress, in the name of care and attention towards those who find themselves facing an uphill path.
I believe that the pandemic – said De Cicco – was a moment in which pharmaceutical companies as well as the public have changed their way of thinking, discovering that alone you do not go anywhere, but and putting themselves side by side. of others, that the future is built and hope is preserved. There are three key players in hope today: science, new drugs, and health professionals. Roche’s mission is to make these three dimensions more and more solid, for which we can continue to hope for ever better.
After the intervention of De Cicco, the Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, wished to express heartfelt thanks to those who intervened in various capacities in the history of the award, reminding us that we all, always, need good stories. Stories that evoke courage, in an age that requires courage in the face of old and new challenges, the outcomes of which are still partly unpredictable.
Cinema succeeds – said Franceschini – in transforming deep and complex messages such as those of support for cancer patients into emotion, and it does so in an extraordinary way. Cinema, care and culture are truly indissoluble.
As president of the jury, Gianni Letta then proceeded to reward the winner (although he wanted to reward all three finalists, according to him). The award went to the short film “Il cane Yago” by Attilio C. Pozzi. The story of a family with their pet, who, due to their mother’s illness, found themselves facing a painful experience, but also a great opportunity for growth in love and empathy. The pope (the author of the story) imagined this story from the perspective of Yago, a faithful companion who in an absolutely peculiar participation in the story of “his humans”, felt with them, suffered with them, and rejoiced with them for every little step forward.
After the award ceremony Beatrice Lorenzin , Francesco Rutelli ,Gianpaolo Letta (CEO of Medusa Film) each expressed a very significant thought.
Lorenzin wanted to recall how essential it is for a decision maker to know the stories of the people behind the numbers of cancer, and that events like this are a unique opportunity in this sense. In the treatment of chronic diseases – said Lorenzin – due to Covid we have taken many steps backwards, which call us to radically rethink the processes of taking charge and accompanying patients. There is not only Covid, but for us there is a responsibility towards those who are suffering and dying from diseases that today it is possible to overcome by improving the health system.
Gianpaolo Letta recalled the initiatives of his group to raise awareness on the issue, and strongly affirmed that true sharing passes through the art of communication. This is the reason that led Medusa to immediately embrace the initiative promoted by Roche.
Francesco Rutelli then also underlined how in the city of Rome there are testimonies of solidarity and ability to care (for its historic hospitals and the millenary initiatives that characterize the city) that have become a reference and model all over the world. Starting from the hospital of St. Barts in London (which takes its name from St. Bartholomew on the Tiber Island), so called by an English pilgrim of the year 1000, who had been treated in Rome following an illness contracted during the long journey to the heart of Christianity. Rutelli stressed that today only a true and profound cultural renewal, and the enhancement of young creatives that a transition like this cannot fail to entail, is able to re-establish a bond that is rarely found: that between science, rationality and narration.
Lastly, the fifth edition of the award was officially launched, which has the peculiarity of being oriented in an important way to Anica’s young writers (21, to be exact), who will be asked to meet the authors of the stories in person, rewriting them. together with them, and thus combining awareness and training. The award thus takes on further significance and reaffirms itself as a place of growth for the whole country.
