Keenan “Special” Bristol, CEO and founder of Music Brings Life, is gearing up to celebrate his inspiring film, Students Are Heroes: A Sickle Cell Warrior’s Story, at the Sundance Film Festival. This heartfelt project aims to raise awareness about the critical shortage of blood donations for sickle cell patients, particularly from African-American, Latino, and Caribbean donors. Throughout 2024, the Music Brings Life team has showcased the film at various high schools, pairing each screening with blood drives to achieve their ambitious goal of collecting 10,000 pints of blood.
Film Synopsis
Students Are Heroes: A Sickle Cell Warrior’s Story follows the journey of Jordana Bristol, a high school athlete who collapses during track practice and is rushed to the hospital. Diagnosed with a sickle cell crisis, Jordana faces life-threatening complications due to her development of antibodies from previous transfusions, making it difficult to find a compatible blood match.
As Jordana’s condition worsens, the film highlights the importance of blood donations from Black and Latino communities—groups statistically more likely to have compatible matches but often underrepresented in donation pools. With Jordana’s life hanging in the balance, her story underscores the power and potential of young donors to save lives.
Behind the Scenes
The film was directed and produced by Keenan “Special” Bristol, with co-production credits to Prince.
Talented Cast
The talented ensemble includes:
- Jordana Whyte as Jordana Bristol
- Keenan “Special” Bristol as Dr. Alexander
- Joanna Wactor as Isabell
- Stacy Thomas as Dr. Stacy
- Martin Bluth as Dr. Martin Bluth
- Deigo Diaz as Dr. Princeton
- Kia Rush as Martha Ellis
- Melvin Thomas (King Melvin Brown) as Principal Johnson
- Layla Johnson as Stacy
- Al Jetson as James
- Jada Bourne as Giselle
- Joven Elegado as Parker
- Prince Forde as Michael
- DJS1 as Himself
- DeAundre Addison as Ferris
- Sherebiah Lawes as Tailah
- Madison Thompson as a Student
- Serenity Eaddy as Ari
- Jeff Simon as a Teacher
The cast and crew will celebrate their achievements as the film screens at Sundance on January 25, 2025.
Be a Hero
Stream Students Are Heroes: A Sickle Cell Warrior’s Story today on the official Music Brings Life website: https://www.musicbringslife.org
Watch the official trailer here: https://youtu.be/-Gdl_5t2a1M
Congratulations to everyone involved for their dedication and effort in bringing this important story to life!
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