Local Documentary Tackles Organ Donation
Did you know that 1 in 10 people in Canada are affected with some level of kidney disease?
Kelowna based filmmaker Ryan Tebbutt recently premiered his feature documentary “Because I Can” shedding light on the organ donation crisis in Canada. The film has been 12 years in the making and follows the story of Shelley Hunt, a mother of two young boys from Pentiction, BC.
Hunt co-founded a nationwide campaign of organ donation education after she discovered that she could save a life she never met.
“My colleague Kelly Veltri and I started documenting this story 12 years ago,” Tebutt said, “self funding the project other than just a $1000 grant from Kelowna Film Society. In 2020, I pitched it to Telus Originals to obtain further funding who ended up funding the film to completion.”
“‘Because I Can’ is a profound and inspirational story that focus’s around the topic of organ donation, specifically Kidney
donation but has a broader theme of altruistic giving, doing good things and the ripple effect those deeds can create.
The film will have more Okanagan screenings in the new year.
