This online film is part of a campaign from Saatchi & Saatchi Italy to raise awareness for World Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28. Biopharmaceutical company Dompe invests in researching cures for rare diseases and launches the campaign in association with the Italian Federation for Rare Diseases, UNIAMO F.I.M.R.
Titled “The Rarest Ones,” this short is directed by Roberto Saku Cinardi and shot in the scenic surroundings of Lazio, Abruzzo and the Canary Islands. The film highlights how campaigns to raise awareness of the possible danger of extinction of some species of wildlife–such as a polar bears, seals, dolphins, whales–attract significant media attention and can provoke a reaction of sympathy and indignation. In comparison, rare diseases in humans receive less attention from the media and are little known by the public.
The film features Tommaso Galluppi, a 22-year-old with a rare disease who has become the official ambassador of the campaign. “I had no hesitation in agreeing to take part in this film. It was not easy because I had to bare not only my body, but also my soul, my personal experience with the world of rare diseases. I found myself shooting in the desert, in the snow, in caves and in water,” commented Galluppi. “I was looking for a ‘solid’ way of giving voice to people like me who struggle every day–and I found it in this project.”
