The Best Work You May Never See: Alma, Director Rodrigo Garcia Saiz, Sloan Kettering Show Love and Loss In Short Film "Late"

Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics, and to raise awareness around this statistic, cancer treatment and research institution Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center partnered with Miami-based creative agency Alma to produce and launch a bilingual public service campaign that promotes the importance of cancer screenings. The campaign includes this short film, Late, directed by Rodrigo Garcia Saiz who has a special connection to the story, having been treated for cancer himself in the past. The film produced by Central Films tells a love story that’s shaped by the moments of being late over the years, while also reminding viewers of the moments where timing is everything.

The goal of this powerful, emotional public service film is to prompt viewers to get screened for cancer on a timely basis. This message is of paramount importance in that Hispanics are more likely to have their cancer diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment is usually more invasive and less successful. Cancer screenings, which means having routine checkups even without necessarily presenting symptoms, can help catch disease early when there are better odds for treatment. 

“As an agency that’s rooted in Hispanic culture, we were honored to partner with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to produce a beautiful story and film that makes connections with families everywhere,” said Monica Marulanda, executive creative director at Alma, “As the Hispanic population is often more affected, we were proud to be able to work with Rodrigo García Saiz and bring to life an emotional story that’s rooted in Hispanic, but that could touch people’s hearts everywhere, and even better, inspire them to schedule their next screening.”