Film Featuring the Courageous Journeys of Children Facing Cancer Debuting at The Atlantic Festival During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, a committed corporate ally to families facing childhood cancer, and Chispa House, a purpose-driven film and content production company dedicated to honoring the spark in everyday people, will debut a 35-minute documentary film, "Moments of Joy," Sept. 25 during The Atlantic Festival in Washington, D.C. The documentary spotlights the emotional challenges and inspirational stories of children facing cancer, as well as the impact on families, health care providers and others who support them.

The film premieres during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a moment when Aflac is also celebrating its multi-decade commitment to supporting families throughout their cancer journeys. Among several topics, the film touches upon My Special Aflac Duck^®, a robotic friend for children with cancer developed by Sproutel that has received numerous accolades, including Best in Show at CES in 2018, the People's Choice Award at SXSW and being named one of Time Magazine's 2018 50 Best Inventions.

"'Moments of Joy' brilliantly captures the emotions families face when a child is diagnosed with cancer, as well as Aflac's 24-year commitment to this cause, by telling the story of how My Special Aflac Duck helps provide comfort to children as they cope with cancer treatments," The Aflac Foundation, Inc. President Kathelen Amos said. "But we know that cancer is too big for any one company or organization to address alone. Our hope is that 'Moments of Joy' inspires more people and companies to join Aflac in supporting the thousands of courageous children diagnosed with cancer each year in America."

"We are extremely proud of how this film shines a bright light on the young children and their families who, at no fault of their own, are thrust into the incredible challenges that childhood cancer presents," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "'Moments of Joy' focuses on the inspiring stories of children and families who face cancer every day, and we believe it will ignite critical conversations across the country, raising the level of awareness about childhood cancer."

Inspired by the innovative way My Special Aflac Duck was sparking joy for young cancer patients, the producers at Chispa House created this film as a passion project in hopes of telling an inspiring story about childhood cancer, which impacts more than 15,000 children each year in the United States. The film follows eight children and their parents through different stages of their cancer journey. Through intimate interviews, they share the heartbreak, fear, determination, hope and joy they experience each day.

"We approached this project with the intent to honor the journey of these children and families with compassionate storytelling and give a behind-the-scenes peek into the purpose-driven core values that drive Aflac's relationship with its customers," Chispa House President Andrew Levy said. "To our amazement, we found not only a brand driven by deeper connection with the people they serve, but optimistic families and caregivers committed to giving an intimate view of this real-life struggle. 'Moments of Joy' perfectly reflects who we are and what we do — telling human-interest stories that ultimately create tangible connectivity among us all."

Motivated by overcoming the tragedy of losing one of its founding partners, Chispa House seeks to tell empathy-driven stories about which they are passionate. When they learned about My Special Aflac Duck in 2018, they approached Aflac in hopes of shining a spotlight on the immense bravery and perseverance of children and families facing cancer across America.

To date, Aflac has distributed more than 5,000 robotic ducks to children in participating hospitals in 48 states. Aflac will continue to expand its My Special Aflac Duck campaign to hospitals across the country, providing a My Special Aflac Duck to any child diagnosed with cancer in the U.S., above the age of 3, free of charge. Hospital professionals can learn more and register to order ducks for children at their facilities at AflacChildhoodCancer.org/MyDuck.

"In the United States, of all the federal funds earmarked for cancer research and treatment, only 4% is assigned to childhood cancer, leaving a tremendous void in this extremely important societal issue," Aflac Senior Vice President, Chief Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and Communications Officer Catherine Hernandez-Blades said. "Companies and their leadership should take a stand and become part of the solution to problems that affect our communities. My Special Aflac Duck is helping children cope with cancer in ways that we could not have imagined nearly 20 years ago when the Aflac Duck was first introduced to America. 'Moments of Joy' captures the trials and triumphs that these families face, and we are proud that My Special Aflac Duck is playing such an important role in this film and in the lives of children with cancer."

"Moments of Joy" will premiere to leading advocacy experts, thought leaders and journalists Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. ET during the second day of The Atlantic Festival. Following the premiere, the creators, two cancer survivors featured in the film, and a child life professional will discuss the development of the documentary and the impact they hope it will have on the childhood cancer community.

To watch "Moments of Joy," visit Aflac.com/Joy.

About Aflac Incorporated 
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is a Fortune 500 company helping provide protection to more than 50 million people through its subsidiaries in Japan and the U.S., where it is a leading supplemental insurer, by paying cash fast when policyholders get sick or injured. For more than six decades, insurance policies of Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance in Japan, where it insures 1 in 4 households. Through its trailblazing One Day Pay^SM initiative in the United States, for eligible claims, Aflac can process, approve and electronically send funds to claimants for quick access to cash in just one business day. For 13 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2018, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for the 20th consecutive year, and in 2019, Fortune included Aflac on its list of World's Most Admired Companies for the 18th time. To find out more about One Day Pay^SM and learn how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover, get to know us at aflac.com.

Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York. WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999.

About Chispa House
Chispa (pronounced Cheese-Spa) House is a full-service film and content production company leading the way to connect brands and their customers through purpose-driven storytelling. Chispa House specializes in identifying your Chispa (the Spanish term for "spark") and bringing it to life through intentional, cinematic storytelling to command consumer attention, change behavior and build energetic brand communities. Since 2013, Chispa partners around the world have launched inspirational and humanity-focused content achieving over 50 million (and counting) cross-platform views. To find your brand's Chispa, please visit www.chispahouse.com.

Media contact – Kristen Fraser, 706.580.3813 or [email protected]
Analyst and investor contact – David A. Young, 706.596.3264, 800.235.2667 or [email protected]

SOURCE Aflac

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