Beirut, February 17th, 2015, Premium SUV manufacturer Land Rover has launched the first in a series of inspirational films with the story of an emotional journey that motivated UAE-based adventurer and entrepreneur NizarFakhoury to start Climb for Cancer, a charity dedicated to raising awareness and funds for children suffering from cancer. In stark contrast to many campaigns involving celebrity ambassadors or the more common glossy car films, Nizar’s film, is an honest, raw and beautifully emotive account of what motivated and inspired him to dedicate his life to raising funds for familiesaffected by cancer.
The film is the first in Land Rover MENA’s ‘My Journey, My Inspiration’ series – a collaboration with inspirational achievers from across the region totell their unique and moving stories. The achievers, from Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and the UAE, all share one thing in common: inspired by the culture and heritage of the land, they have succeeded in truly going above and beyond in their accomplishments. The series embodies the sentiment behind Land Rover’s latest MENA creative communications platform: MYLAND.
Nizar starts off the three minute film recounting his early days setting up Climb For Cancer: “When we first started Climb for Cancer, we thought we’d be able to treat every child we came across because nowadays treatment is available, it is possible. The reason we do these climbs is to be able to support these patients, and to raise awareness and fund treatment for them.”
Nizar goes on to recount a heartfelt story about how his family was tragically struck by cancer when his young cousin was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) – an untreatable, incurable, inoperable and aggressive brain cancer which sadly led to her passing away in 2012.
“When you lose a child, it’s a lot harder than when you first expect – it’s something that you wouldn’t expect would happen to a three year old or to a two year old – someone so young suffering from something so serious. Two years into Climb for Cancer it did strike home – a young cousin of mine, three years old, Lyla Nsouli, was diagnosed with DIPG. We dedicated our climb to Mount Ellbrus which is the highest peak in Europe, in memory of Lyla, and to be able to raise funds for DIPG brain cancer.”
On preparing for gruelling climbing challenges, Nizar added: “It’s not about getting scared – I think it more about knows how well you’ve prepared. When I hear the term ‘MYLAND’, I think of it as the place where I’ve found myself, and where I’ve been able to establish myself in the past 10 years. I feel it’s the least I can do to give back to the community and to the land which I call home. This is MYLAND, the United Arab Emirates, and I think giving up some of our free time to be able to support people in need is a moral obligation for each one of us.”
Commenting on the film, Chris Wilde, Brand Director for Jaguar Land Rover MENA added: “”MYLAND is all about celebrating the amazing people, places and stories of this region and the “My Journey, My Inspiration” series does this in an incredible way. With this series we wanted to honour and celebrate the people who have been inspired by their land, heritage or country to go above and beyond in their achievements. Nizar embodies this philosophy perfectly, and his achievements are not only physically inspiring but they have alsotouched the lives of many families who have been struck by cancer. We are extremely proud to be able to tell this story, and we hope it will inspire people across the region to achieve their dreams and aspirations.”
Produced by Emirati film director and friend of the Land Rover brand,Ali Mostafa, and directed by Emirati filmmaker Ahmed Abdulqader, Nizar’s film is the first in the ‘My Journey, My Inspiration’ series, which will all be hosted on MYLAND.LANDROVER-ME.COM.
Nizar is currently taking part in the ‘777 Marathon’- 7 marathon in 7 countries within 7 days to raise funds for cancer patients in UAE.
Click here to see his inspirational film www.myland.landrover-me.com