Actor, writer and producer Kazy Tauginas has released his award-winning short film, Standing Eight on Amazon, with proceeds from the downloads and sales going to the Lupus Foundation of America.

Standing Eight is about a boxer who is forced to retire and contend with life outside of the ring after being diagnosed with systemic lupus. Tauginas drew inspiration from his days as a Golden Gloves boxer and from his mother’s real life struggles with the disease for more than 40 years.

“This was a labor of love,” Tauginas said about producing the short, “through and through. My inspiration came from my mother, who has been fighting Systemic Lupus Nephritis since before I was born. Lupus affects millions of people around the globe, yet so few people even know what the disease actually does to the body.”

Since its completion, Standing Eight has screened at 28 festivals around the world, and it has won 11 awards including Best Short Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography. After all the success the film has received among festivals, Tauginas has decided to use it as a tool to help raise awareness and educate.

The film, now available on Amazon and Vimeo, will shortly be available on iTunes and Google Play. Please click here to view the trailer and purchase/rent the film.: