Dr. Gabriel Sara, a Lebanese-born oncologist who serves as Medical Director of the Chemotherapy Infusion Suite at New York's Mount Sinai West, knew it was a long shot when he suggested doing a film about cancer patient care to French filmmaker Emmanuelle Bercot. What he never expected was that, after writing a moving screenplay based on his experience and passion for bringing music and art therapy into patient care, Bercot would invite him to play the on-screen doctor - opposite leading French stars Catherine Deneuve and Benoît Magimel. That film, called Peaceful, premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and opens this year's Stony Brook Film Festival July 21. A Tempo host Rachel Katz this week speaks with Dr. Sara about his philosophy and approach to treating cancer patients with music, art and other activities to lift their spirits, and his experience with the film.
