Fireflies Light The Way in The Princess Margaret’s Latest Carry The Fire Campaign
Broken Heart Love Affair visualizes the collective power of giving in a cinematic new campaign for The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
Fireflies light the way toward a world free from the fear of cancer in The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation’s (The PMCF) new fall fundraising campaign, the latest chapter of its Carry The Fire brand platform created by Broken Heart Love Affair (BHLA).
The campaign is built around the idea that every individual donation contributes to something bigger, and when thousands come together, they can become a powerful force for progress. The new Carry The Fire work makes that collective impact visible, with each donation represented by the glow of an individual firefly.
At the centre of the campaign is a cinematic film directed by Jason van Bruggen of Suneeva, set to a live version of Coldplay’s “Yellow.” It opens with intimate moments of people across Canada discovering individual fireflies — holding them in their hands and catching them in jars. As more people gather their own points of light, the film follows them toward The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Along the way, the individual lights multiply as more people join them, turning acts of giving from across the country into a growing collective force.
Once inside, the fireflies are released, flowing through patient rooms, treatment spaces and research labs. The lights multiply as they move through the Cancer Centre, bringing to life how donor support helps fuel the research, treatment and care happening inside. Eventually, the fireflies stream out of The Princess Margaret and into the night sky, lighting the way toward a world free from the fear of cancer.
“Every donation matters, and together they have the power to fuel meaningful progress in cancer research and care,” said Melanie Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. “The fireflies bring that collective impact to life, showing how each contribution becomes part of something much bigger — helping to light the way toward a world free from the fear of cancer.”
Out-of-home features real Cancer Centre patients alongside messages including “Every donation lights the way forward,” “Tomorrow is counting on us,” “Together, we can bring the dawn,” “Spark the next cancer breakthrough,” and “Brighten the future of cancer care.”
Digital and social executions connect donor support to the work it helps fuel, highlighting examples of the Cancer Centre’s research and discoveries across cancer types, including multiple myeloma, breast cancer, sarcoma and brain cancer. The work invites donors to consider what the next contribution could help make possible, under the message: “Every donation lights new discoveries.”
“When the challenge is as big as cancer, it’s easy to wonder what one person or one donation can really do,” said Marty Hoefkes, Creative Director, Broken Heart Love Affair. “We wanted to make the collective power of those individual acts visible. A firefly gave us the perfect metaphor: one point of light becomes something much more powerful when joined by others. It allowed us to show donors not as spectators to progress, but as part of the force driving it forward.”
The campaign begins rolling out October 5 across TV, CTV, online video, out-of-home, digital and social. The work includes 90-, 60-, 30-, 15- and six-second films, along with vertical executions, and will run through the end of the year.
The work follows the September 22 launch of The Princess Margaret’s $2.5-billion Carry The Fire fundraising campaign — the largest cancer fundraising campaign in Canadian history — which is already being fueled by extraordinary philanthropy, including a landmark $100-million anonymous gift. The campaign aims to accelerate discoveries, transform patient care and help create a world free from the fear of cancer.
Funds raised will support three priorities at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre: Stage 0, focused on preventing and detecting cancer at its earliest stages; Beyond Chemotherapy, advancing more precise, personalized and less toxic treatments; and Boundless Cancer Care, supporting the well-being of patients, survivors and caregivers.
Behind the Scenes:
Bringing the fireflies to life required a mix of practical effects, VFX, real staff from The Princess Margaret and some unexpected cameos:
Real staff members from The Princess Margaret appear throughout the film. The researcher working at the microscope is a real researcher at the Cancer Centre, while the MRI operator and cryogenic tube operator also perform their real-life roles on camera.
The fireflies started with real points of light. Tiny LED lights suspended on fishing line gave performers something physical to interact with and helped cast light onto faces and environments before VFX brought the fireflies to life.
Filming inside the Cancer Centre took place overnight, allowing the production to capture the real hospital environment while working around its day-to-day operations. The overall production was shot over four days.
Practical effects helped ground the VFX. The physical LEDs established real light and interaction on set, giving Motomotus a foundation for creating the fireflies that eventually fill the Cancer Centre and Toronto night sky.
BHLA Creative Director Michael Morelli makes an unexpected cameo, stepping in front of the camera during the shoot and ultimately making the final cut in the café scene.
About The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation:
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation is Canada’s largest cancer charity. We’re dedicated to raising funds for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, one of the world’s leading cancer research and treatment centres, known for its breakthrough discoveries that transform patient outcomes. Together, our work benefits cancer patients everywhere in our mission to create a world free from the fear of cancer. Through philanthropy, fundraising events, and our world-leading lottery program, we’re changing how the world understands, prevents, diagnoses, and treats cancer, benefiting patients at The Princess Margaret, throughout Canada, and around the world.
About Broken Heart Love Affair:
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation is Canada’s largest cancer charity. We’re dedicated to raising funds for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, one of the world’s leading cancer research and treatment centres, known for its breakthrough discoveries that transform patient outcomes. Together, our work benefits cancer patients everywhere in our mission to create a world free from the fear of cancer. Through philanthropy, fundraising events, and our world-leading lottery program, we’re changing how the world understands, prevents, diagnoses, and treats cancer, benefiting patients at The Princess Margaret, throughout Canada, and around the world.
VIDEO CREDITS
Brand Platform: Carry The Fire
Title: Carry The Fire Fall Campaign
Client: The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
Chief Marketing Officer: Melanie Johnston
Associate Vice President Marketing, Brand & Giving: Karen Ming-Sun
Senior Creative Director: Mark Rawlinson
Director, Communications: Kenzie Broddy
Marketing Manager: Emma Tushinski
Manager, Brand & Digital: Ashley Mahase
Agency: Broken Heart Love Affair
Partner & Chief Creative Officer: Carlos Moreno
Partner & Chief Strategy Officer: Jay Chaney
SVP, Strategy: Kristy Pleckaitis
Creative Director: Michael Morelli
Creative Director: Marty Hoefkes
Art Director: Michael Morelli
Copywriter: Marty Hoefkes
EVP, National Managing Director: Joline Matika
Group Account Director: Maegan Thomas
Account Director, Brand Lead: Sweetha Mahendran
Project Specialist: Ram Ahuja
SVP, Executive Producer: Erica Metcalfe
Senior Producer: Ann Caverly
Production Company: Suneeva
Director: Jason van Bruggen
Director of Photography: Stuart Cameron
Executive Producer: Geoff Cornish
Line Producer: Trudy Turner
Editorial Company: Nimiopere
Executive Producer: Jenna Edwards
Editor: Steve Puhach
Assistant Editor: Jazzer Pagdanganan
VFX Company: Motomotus
Creative Director/VFX Artist: Lauren Rempel
Executive Producer: Morgan Campbell
VFX Supervisor: Marcin Porebski
Colour: Alter Ego
Colourist: Wade Odlum
Executive Producer: Jane Garrah
Audio House: TA2 Sound & Music
Audio Director: Steve Gadsden
Music Track: Yellow performed by Coldplay, Courtesy of Warner Music
Executive Producer/Director of Licensing: Christine Leslie
Engineer: Andrew Fuerton
Casting Company: Jigsaw Casting
Casting Director: Shasta Lutz, Diana Ricci
Media Agency: Havas Media Canada
VP, Client Experience: Kiera Yeates
Vice President, Investments: Mat Horst
Manager, Strategic Planning: Raghav Budhraja
Media Planner: Harshit Chandwani
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Client: The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
Chief Marketing Officer: Melanie Johnston
Associate Vice President Marketing, Brand & Giving: Karen Ming-Sun
Senior Creative Director: Mark Rawlinson
Director, Communications: Kenzie Broddy
Marketing Manager: Emma Tushinski
Manager, Brand & Digital: Ashley Mahase
Agency: Broken Heart Love Affair
Partner & Chief Creative Officer: Carlos Moreno
Partner & Chief Creative Officer: Todd Mackie
Partner & Chief Strategy Officer: Jay Chaney
SVP, Strategy: Kristy Pleckaitis
Creative Director: Michael Morelli
Creative Director: Marty Hoefkes
Art Director: Michael Morelli
Copywriter: Marty Hoefkes
EVP, National Managing Director: Joline Matika
Group Account Director: Maegan Thomas
Account Director, Brand Lead: Sweetha Mahendran
Project Specialist: Ram Ahuja
SVP, Executive Producer: Erica Metcalfe
Integrated Producer: Deena Archibald
Designer & Mac Artist: Neil Watson
Production Company: Fuze Reps
Photographer: Chris Robinson
Assistant: Adam Coish
Assistant: Levi Hodson
Wardrobe Stylist: Terri Daquisto
Wardrobe Assistant: Evate Gewargis
Wardrobe Assistant: Evan Grundmann
Hair + Makeup Artist: Kim Creton
Hair + Makeup Assistant: Alba Feinaj
Production Intern: Kole Adeney
Production Assistant: Chrissy Mitolo
Production Assistant: Mariam Kohyar
Rep + Producer: Nicole Gomez
Retoucher: Kevin Luc
Media Agency: Havas Media Canada
VP, Client Experience: Kiera Yeates
Vice President, Investments: Mat Horst
Manager, Strategic Planning: Raghav Budhraja
Media Planner: Harshit Chandwani
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