The American Legacy Foundation, a.k.a.Legacy, best known for its truth ® youth smoking prevention campaign, is asking aspiring filmmakers refrain from using cigarettes as props in their films. Legacy developed a six-minute documentary titled “Redefining Cool”. Actress and activist Daryl Hannah has lent her support, talents, and her voice to the film.
“I’m thrilled that I can lend my voice to help educate students about the power they wield as filmmakers and how actions they take can have a substantial impact on society,” said Hannah.
Intended for film students, the film chronicles how the tobacco industry has long used product placement in films to promote their products and a pro-smoking lifestyle. Even though the CDC and the National Cancer Institute have agreed that movies can have an impact on a young persons decision to smoke, over half of the top-earning movies with a PG-13 rating included smoking in 2009.
“Eighty percent of smokers started in their teens and movie smoking is a primary independent risk factor for youth starting to smoke,” said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of Legacy. “While this might not be new information to the heads of major studios in Hollywood, we are taking this message straight to the frontlines, to the next generation of gifted young filmmakers to educate them so they can help change social norms and save lives.”
Legacy is a national public health organization headquarted in Washington D.C. Their objective is to create a world in which the youth reject tobacco and it is easier to quit.