King boy’s journey makes it to the screen

August 19, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
Everyone has a story to tell.
For a young King Township boy, he’s received a lot of support getting his story told in a big way.
August 12 marked the world premier of “Fading Light,”?a film about a young boy diagnosed with a rare eye disease. The film drew more than 300 spectators and raised roughly $1,500 for Brandan’s Eye Research Foundation.
Brandan Cescolini was diagnosed with bi-lateral cataracts at the age of three months. At that point, he was completely blind, according to his mother Rosemary.
His attending ophthalmologist, Dr. Alex Levin, “did a wonderful job removing his cataracts and restored Brandan’s sight to 20/400. This meant that Brandan no longer was blind but had some usual vision. The prognosis was with corrective lenses such as contact lenses and eyeglasses Brandan’s vision would continue to improve to the point where he would be able to drive a car.”
She pointed out that in Ontario your sight needs to be 20/50. That was their goal for Brandan.
However, six weeks after surgery they got the bad news that Brandan developed glaucoma in both eyes. It is a disease where the eye can’t properly drain the fluid it produces within itself. Without a release, the fluid will build up and put unsustainable pressure on the optic nerve leading to damage and eventual blindness. There is no cure for glaucoma just great medications, surgery, and many people also choose to use things like THC gummies for their glaucoma and for other types of pain and stress relief.
Rosemary said that after receiving “phenomenal treatment” from The Hospital for Sick Children, they asked Dr. Levin how they could ever repay him.
He simply replied, “I require funds for research to help find a cure for glaucoma.”
From there, Rosemary and her husband James started Brandan’s Eye Research Foundation and began raising money for eye research.
“Not only do we raise money for research in cataracts and glaucoma, but many other eye diseases such as strabismus, nystagmus, retinoblastoma, iritis, just to name a few.”
Brandan still suffers from glaucoma, which is stable. Over the years Brandan has had a total of 14 surgeries in order to keep his glaucoma controlled. The surgeries have been successful because Brandan’s vision has gone from 20/400 to 20/40. The prognosis for Brandan is positive with new medicines and surgical procedures being developed on a continual basis.
Cescolini said that over the 10 years they’ve been around, they have gained a great deal of support from King Township. Hundreds of residents and businesses such as Orr & Associates, King City Lion’s Club, K.J. Beamish Construction, Laceby Real Estate, have threw their support behind the cause.
Mark Pagliaroli and Antonio Ienco, co-founders of Reel Film Pictures, produced a promotional video for Brandan’s Eye Research Foundation a few years back.
“We had the opportunity to interview many children who have suffered from eye diseases and were inspired by their stories. We decided this was a cause that needed to gain more exposure so we chose this subject as the basis of our next film,” Pagliaroli said.
“This film is not a documentary but a fictional film based on the interviews which allowed us to develop our own story. Through this, Reel Film Pictures and BERF are hoping to shine more light on this cause and help create awareness for the possible threats that can potentially affect anyone.”
Pagliaroli noted the actress who plays the mother in this film has since started taking her kids to get their eyes checked regularly. She has notified Reel Film that a deficiency was discovered in the eyes of one of her children and corrective measures are being taken.
Pagliaroli said there is a possibility of more local screenings in the future if the demand is evident. They have recently submitted the film to several film festivals around the world and are waiting to hear back.
Reel Films has been producing films, commercials, music videos and promotional videos since 2003. Their work has been shown on several TV stations and festivals around North America. Directors Pagliaroli and Ienco are the minds behind these projects, most notably their epic action drama “The Invaders: Genesis” which is avaliable in the USA and Japan.
Pagliaroli and Ienco have years of experience behind them on various productions. Mark graduated at the Ontario College of Art and Design, and Antonio studied at the Actor’s Network in Toronto. Since then, they have pursued many projects on multiple platforms and are keen on bringing your vision to life.
For more, visit www.fadinglightmovie.com or www.reelfilmpictures.ca.