Kidney Health is Going to Hollywood

NEW YORK, April 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Grab a seat and bag of popcorn; kidney health and organ donation are getting the attention they deserve in a new movie with some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Going in Style, from Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Village Roadshow Pictures, is a comedy about three lifelong friends—Willie (Morgan Freeman), Joe (Michael Caine) and Al (Alan Arkin)—who decide to plan a heist on the bank that absconded with their pension money. All the while, Willie finds himself in a desperate situation as a kidney patient undergoing dialysis, a condition he has kept secret from his family and friends, when he learns that he must find a kidney donor.

The National Kidney Foundation is proud to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures to promote the release of the movie throughout April 2017, which is National Donate Life Month.  With nearly 100,000 Americans on the wait list for a kidney transplant, organ donation is vital to the foundation's mission. This year, only around 18,000 people will receive a kidney; one-third of which will come from living donors.  

A special public service announcement (PSA) will run in theaters nationwide thanks to the generous support of Screenvision Media and National CineMedia (NCM).  The PSA, donated by Warner Bros. Pictures, focuses on the story of Morgan Freeman's character, a kidney patient on dialysis who keeps his struggle a secret from his family and friends, which is all too familiar for many of the 26 million Americans suffering from kidney disease. The new PSA features clips from the movie and is narrated by the film's director, Zach Braff.  Screenvision Media will show the PSA on 6,000 screens within 570 theaters nationwide and National CineMedia will show it on 5,000 screens within 400 theaters reaching a combined audience of 20 million people.   

"We are inspired by the National Kidney Foundation's mission and are proud to share their story on the premier storytelling platform—the movie screen," said John McCauley, Chief Strategic Officer, Screenvision Media.  "We're looking forward to harnessing the power of cinema to shine light onto the importance of organ donation through this moving PSA."

"NCM is proud to help the National Kidney Foundation use the power of the big screen to reach movie audiences nationwide," said Cliff Marks, President of National CineMedia (NCM).  "Movies are often a case of art imitating life and there is no better place to tell a story than at the movie theater, so the fact that this great, new film can both entertain people and help raise awareness of this important health issue makes it a win for all of us." 

The new PSA, which features NKF's free educational program for patients and professionals, The Big Ask: The Big Give program, will start running in theaters March 31, 2017 through the end of April.  Often, people in need of a kidney transplant never get one simply because they do not know how to ask.  The Big Ask: The Big teaches kidney patients how to ask their friends and loved ones to consider living organ donation.   For more information on living organ donation, visit www.kidney.org/livingdonation or call 855-NKF-CARES.

"We are so grateful to Warner Bros, Screenvision and National CineMedia for bringing the conversation about kidney health and organ donation to national attention.  Through the power and magic of Hollywood, all those waiting for a kidney transplant can be inspired to reach out to friends, family members and acquaintances to encourage them to consider living organ donation," said Kevin Longino, CEO, National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant patient.

View the new PSA and join the conversation #GoingInStyle. 

Kidney Disease Facts
1 in 3 American adults is at risk for kidney disease.  26 million American adults have kidney disease—and most aren't aware of it.  Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, family history, and age 60+.  People of African American; Hispanic; Native American; Asian; or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease.  African Americans are 3 ½ times more likely, and Hispanics 1 ½ times more likely, to experience kidney failure.

ABOUT "GOING IN STYLE"
Going in Style opens nationwide on April 7, 2017.  A New Line Cinema presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, it will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.  www.goinginstylemovie.com.

ABOUT SCREENVISION MEDIA
Headquartered in New York, NY, Screenvision Media is a national leader in cinema advertising, offering on-screen advertising, in-lobby promotions and integrated marketing programs to national, regional and local advertisers and providing comprehensive cinema advertising representation services to top tier theatrical exhibitors presenting the highest quality movie going experience.  The Screenvision Media cinema advertising network is comprised of over 14,500 screens in 2,300+ theater locations across all 50 states and 94% of DMAs nationwide; delivering through more than 150 theatrical circuits, including 6 of the top 10 exhibitor companies.  For more information: http://screenvisionmedia.com.

ABOUT NATIONAL CINEMEDIA (NCM)
National CineMedia (NCM) is America's Movie Network. As the #1 Millennial weekend network in the U.S., NCM is the connector between brands and movie audiences. More than 700 million moviegoers annually attend theaters that are currently under contract to present NCM's FirstLook pre-show in over 40 leading national and regional theater circuits including AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE:AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC). NCM's cinema advertising network offers broad reach and unparalleled audience engagement with over 20,500 screens in over 1,600 theaters in 189 Designated Market Areas® (all of the top 50). NCM Digital goes beyond the big screen, extending in-theater campaigns into online and mobile marketing programs to reach entertainment audiences. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) owns a 39.0% interest in, and is the managing member of, National CineMedia, LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com.

ABOUT NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive and longstanding organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease.  For more information about NKF visit www.kidney.org.   

SOURCE National Kidney Foundation

Related Links

http://www.kidney.org