Alicia Keys is a triple-threat -- singer, writer, and actress -- and now she can add director to her impressive list of talents.
Keys is one of four high-profile women (the others being Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Patty Jenkins, the latter of whom directed the Oscar-winning film Monster) who have signed on to direct a Lifetime movie called Project Five.
The movie is an anthology of five short films with interconnected stories, all of which explore how breast cancer affects people's lives. The project will use humor and drama to focus on the effect that breast cancer and its diagnosis have on relationships and the way women perceive themselves, while searching for strength, comfort, medical breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure.
This would be a win-win for opportunity for the Black community since women of color are twice as likely to die from breast cancer than white women. It is the most common cancer among African American women, who are more likely to die from the disease than other ethnicities due to later detection and delayed treatment. Among Hispanic women, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. There are currently 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
While breast cancer death rates are going down - likely a result of early detection - it's estimated that nearly 200,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, with 40,000 deaths attributed to the disease each year. Find out more about breast cancer prevention, symptoms, and treatment here.
By Brittany Gatson, BDO Staff Writer
14 Apr 2011 , Copyright © 2005-2011, BlackDoctor.org. All rights reserved.
