I Remember Better When I Paint
Encyclopedia
I Remember Better When I Paint is a 2009 feature length
international documentary film
about the positive impact of art and other creative therapies in people with Alzheimer's disease
and how these approaches can change the way the disease is viewed by society. The film examines the way creative arts
bypass the limitations of dementia
disorders such as Alzheimer's and shows how patients' still-vibrant imaginations are strengthened through therapeutic art.
and Berna Huebner
, and is narrated by actress Olivia de Havilland
. It features an interview with Yasmin Aga Khan, president of Alzheimer Disease International
and daughter of Rita Hayworth
, who had Alzheimer's, describing how her mother took up painting while struggling with the disease. The inspiration for the film is the story of Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein (Hilgos)
, who had Alzheimer's. As she painted, Hilgos’s mobility and speech began to improve as did her quality of life.
The documentary includes interviews with renowned neurologists who explain how creative activities engage areas of the brain
that are not damaged by the disease and thus reawaken a sense of personality, identity and dignity. Doctors interviewed include Robert Neil Butler
, founding director of the National Institute of Aging; Sam Gandy
of Mount Sinai Medical Center; Gene D. Cohen
of George Washington University
; Robert Green and Bob Stern of Boston University
; and Avertano Noronha of the University of Chicago
. The film demonstrates the intersection between the arts, medical and scientific worlds.
and the 2009 Bel Air Film Festival. I Remember Better When I Paint has been released as part of a DVD
package which includes the documentary as well as a series of short supplemental films that further highlight special programs and flesh out the how-tos of organizing an outing, a creative workshop or recreating social bonds between people with Alzheimer's and their families.
Feature length
Feature length is motion picture terminology referring to the length of a feature film. According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a feature length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes to be eligible for an Academy Award.The term may also...
international documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the positive impact of art and other creative therapies in people with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
and how these approaches can change the way the disease is viewed by society. The film examines the way creative arts
Creative Arts
Creative arts is the term used to describe different types of art. Specifically, to introduce fine art ideas, techniques, skills and media. It is generally used as an umbrella for Dramaturgy, Music , Graphic Arts/Cartooning, Performing Arts, Film and Publishing, Galleries and Museums and the Visual...
bypass the limitations of dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
disorders such as Alzheimer's and shows how patients' still-vibrant imaginations are strengthened through therapeutic art.
Synopsis
The film is by Eric EllenaEric Ellena
-Career:As a director his films include The Last Trackers of the Outback, which won the Public’s Choice Award at the 2008 FIFO - Pacific International Documentary Film Festival of Tahiti and The Long March of Bob Slaughter....
and Berna Huebner
Berna Huebner
Berna G. Huebner is the founder of the Hilgos Foundation in Chicago, Illinois which supports and encourages the ongoing process of artistic creation with people who have different forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s...
, and is narrated by actress Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...
. It features an interview with Yasmin Aga Khan, president of Alzheimer Disease International
Alzheimer Disease International
Alzheimer Disease International , was founded in 1984 to help to fight Alzheimer's disease that was first diagnosed back in 1906. In the present, ADI has grown as an international organization that also runs the Alzheimer University to help volunteers and staff of other Alzheimer Associations to...
and daughter of Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
, who had Alzheimer's, describing how her mother took up painting while struggling with the disease. The inspiration for the film is the story of Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein (Hilgos)
Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein (Hilgos)
-Early Years:A native of Montreal who grew up in Portland, Oregon, Gorenstein started painting as a teenager at a time when women artists weren't very well received...
, who had Alzheimer's. As she painted, Hilgos’s mobility and speech began to improve as did her quality of life.
The documentary includes interviews with renowned neurologists who explain how creative activities engage areas of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
that are not damaged by the disease and thus reawaken a sense of personality, identity and dignity. Doctors interviewed include Robert Neil Butler
Robert Neil Butler
Robert Neil Butler was a physician, gerontologist, psychiatrist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who was the first director of the National Institute on Aging...
, founding director of the National Institute of Aging; Sam Gandy
Sam Gandy
Dr. Samuel E. Gandy is an international expert in the metabolism of the sticky substance called amyloid that clogs the brain in patients with Alzheimer's. He currently serves on the Research Consortium of Cure Alzheimer's Fund.-Research:...
of Mount Sinai Medical Center; Gene D. Cohen
Gene D. Cohen
Gene D. Cohen was an American psychiatrist who pioneered research into geriatric mental health. He was the first head of the Center on Aging at the National Institute of Mental Health, the first government-supported center on mental health and aging in the world, and was later the first director...
of George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
; Robert Green and Bob Stern of Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
; and Avertano Noronha of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. The film demonstrates the intersection between the arts, medical and scientific worlds.
Release
The film was selected for the 2010 Rhode Island International Film FestivalRhode Island International Film Festival
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit...
and the 2009 Bel Air Film Festival. I Remember Better When I Paint has been released as part of a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
package which includes the documentary as well as a series of short supplemental films that further highlight special programs and flesh out the how-tos of organizing an outing, a creative workshop or recreating social bonds between people with Alzheimer's and their families.
External links
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1595878/I Remember Better When I Paint at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
] - I Remember Better When I Paint official blog
- Film preview of I Remember Better When I Paint
- Remember Better When I Paint at French Connection Films