Breathtaking Film Documents Grief and the Asbestos Industry

When Canadian filmmaker Kathleen Mullen lost her father to mesothelioma, a deadly cancer related to asbestos exposure, her grief took her in the direction of her art. Inspired by her father’s moving struggle, Breathtaking is an investigation into the dangers of asbestos, which is still being mined in some countries, including Canada and Russia, despite the known dangers. Asbestos exposure can lead to a number of serious illnesses other than mesothelioma, which is a relatively rare form of cancer. Other asbestos-related diseases include: asbestosis, lung cancer, and many other forms of cancer. A special screening of the film was held at the Ottawa Public Library on April 4.