Rachel Ward lends voice to Tsuno’s latest campaign ‘Break The Cycle’ via Fiction

Production company Fiction has announced the release of its ad campaign in partnership with Tsuno, a social enterprise selling sanitary products run by Roslyn Campbell. Created in Victoria by an all-volunteer, all-female team, the ad highlights the stigma of menstruation in developing countries and the struggles young women face as a result, encouraging viewers to “break the cycle of poverty, with your cycle.” Generously lending her talents to the project, the TVC features the voice-over of Australian film icon, actor and director, Rachel Ward.

Tsuno is a social enterprise selling sanitary products, with 50% of profits going to charities empowering women across the globe. Most notably, these charities include One Girl, who provide girls access to education in Sierra Leone and Uganda, as well as menstrual health and hygiene training.

VIEW THE SPOT

Directed by Natalie Erika James and produced by Emma Haarburger, the ad begins with a young girl applying lipstick in the mirror – her excitement fading to embarrassment as she accidentally smudges the lipstick. The narration questions why the innocence of young girls can shift into shame over their bodies, relating the issue on a wider scale to depictions of disadvantaged girls in developing countries, who are shown isolated or missing out in some way.

The campaign was created using an all-female cast and crew to highlight the gender gap against women in the film and advertising industry.

Says Haarburger: “We wanted to make an ad, made by women, for women, to help out women.”

Says James: “The all-female crew approach was definitely not about excluding anybody. It was about seeking out more female collaborators, in an effort to work with both genders equally across the board.”

The spot was shot by Katie Millwright (whose recent credits include cinematography on Looking for Grace (Venice IFF and Toronto IFF, 2016) and Sydney-based sound mixer, Cate Cahill (Max Max: Fury Road).

Says Haarburger: “It was amazing to see the generous donation of time from all of our talented industry professionals who jumped on board for a good cause. The sheer experience of working with a full female crew was quite amazing.”

The campaign has been released with a moving behind-the-scenes video, which features Rachel Ward talking candidly about her transition to womanhood, as well as insight from Charlotte Harper, one of the young 11-year-old girls who features in the ad.

Both Haarburger and James are part of Fiction, an award-winning production house based in Melbourne. Established in 2006 by director Jake Robb and executive producer Jackie Fish, Fiction produces a range of work both locally and internationally with a focus on television commercial production and creative content.

The TVC – which features scenes from four different countries – was filmed in one location in Brunswick, Melbourne over 1.25 days.

TSUNO’s founder, Campbell, is currently in the process of crowd-funding her next product in the Tsuno line: 100% organic, cotton tampons. The crowd-funding video features comedian Hannah Malarski in a giant vagina costume, and runs until November 15th.

View the Behind The Scenes film.

Click here to visit TSUNO’s website.

Click here to visit One Girl’s website.

Writer/Director – Natalie Erika James

Filmed on Location in Melbourne, Victoria