B4BC Wellness Ambassador and Chasing Sunshine documentary co-director, Megan Pischke, on the red carpet at The WIN Awards.
We were honored to be part of an inspiring night at The Women’s Image Networks (WIN) Awards, Wednesday evening, February 10, 2016 in Los Angeles, for B4BC’s nominated documentary Chasing Sunshine, co-directed and featuring our Wellness Ambassador, Megan Pischke. The documentary follows, Megan, who is a former pro snowboarder, through her breast cancer diagnosis, the rigors of treatment, and a very raw account that hasn’t been seen before.
Felicity Huffman taking the stage at The WIN Awards.
The evening consisted of some of the most powerful women in Hollywood not only being honored for their contributions, but shedding a light on the importance of dimensional female characters and the unrealistic standards placed on women today. The Women’s Image Network believes in modernizing the way women are portrayed in the media, as well as increasing the number of women working behind the scenes in directorial positions—a movement we can get behind.
B4BC’s Megan Pischke and actor Moniqua Plante walk the red carpet.
Megan was asked to walk the red carpet, which she did with amazing style, along with B4BC’s long-time supporter, actor Moniqua Plante, followed by a set of interviews with news media of all types. One of the main questions asked often was how Chasing Sunshine came about?
“The project all started between my friend (who is also a commercial filmer/producer/editor for Whistler Creek Productions) and I,” explained Megan. “At that point I hadn’t told anyone what I was about to embark on, and I was going to film a personal message to my community and friends to let them know my situation, along with a short on the cold capping, whether it worked or not, which we would share it with the B4BC community.”
“Paul (Watt) was using some new cameras and stabilizers, so he asked if he could follow me on my daily routine before treatment. Like either running through the woods, yoga, or paddle boarding. We sent over a quick edit to B4BC’s (at the time) director Erika Seward, and she really was interested and wanted to expand it, and was crucial in creating that initial push to do something bigger. My goal for the film was to share the integrated health treatments, as a few of them I had never heard of. My goal for me was to live through it all. And then also to learn more about my health, and what I could do to regain it, and share that experience with others. The film also became a way for me to express my gratitude to those who had supported my family and I through this (b4bc4Megs) and share the possibility of fundraising to support treatments.
Paul was the best filmer for this that you could ask for. Quiet, respectful, and great at capturing what we needed immediately. He really held the space for my family and I to go through what we were going through and at the same time capturing the essence of this film, which is hope.”
Behind the scenes: Megan answers questions with Quincy Jones.
“There’s a couple things of things I have taken away from this film project that have enhanced my life for sure,” Megan continues. “One is forgiveness, and the importance of that to move one and experience really amazing things beyond the smaller scope of holding onto things that aren’t serving me. Another would be the beauty of being present. Even when it’s awful, and you would rather be anywhere else but in that moment, I believe we are here for even those moments, and the rewards of brighter moments/times become even sweeter and much more meaningful.”
Lily Tomlin, nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her role in Grandma, answering questions on the red carpet.
The one and only Quincy Jones supporting The Women’s Image Network.
Want to join in on the action? Watch B4BC’s Chasing Sunshine documentary, now available for digital download on iTunes and other platforms, or learn more about the documentary at www.chasingsunshineproject.org. Many thanks to The North Face for helping Chasing Sunshine documentary become a reality.
