Dear Audrey - a love story through Alzheimer's

Dear Audrey - a love story through Alzheimer's Livestream Filmmaker Q&A with Jeremiah Hayes, Audrey's Husband Martin Duckworth, Banner Alzheimer's Researcher Dr. Jessica Langbaum hosted by Matchmaker Roseann Higgins as the film makes its US debut at the Phoenix Film Festival!

Roseann Higgins ... launching my first LinkedIn Live!

Here we go!

Boom!

The story was broadcast live on LinkedIn, with love and dedication to the family and the film.

I invited Jeremiah Hayes, the Director of the exciting film (starting TODAY! April 1, 2022) to the Phoenix Film Festival to join us.

Also joining are Audrey's husband and prolific filmmaker Martin Duckworth and Alzheimer's Researcher from Banner Health and Alzheimer's Institute Dr. Jessica Langbaum.

Congratulations on the US film debut!

Audrey and Martin were together 47 years!

As a matchmaker, I wanted to know their love story.

It takes a lot of love when you marry for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. You have a journey. You and all families do when a family member gets any kind of illness, especially Alzheimer's.

Enjoy the interview and the stories behind the story of creating a film that took years to capture and a lifelong love to share.

Please enjoy the show note highlights!

Roseann: We are live on LinkedIn, Facebook, possibly Twitter and maybe even YouTube and Zoom!

In studio are Jeremiah Hayes, the Director of the exciting film coming to the Phoenix Film Festival starting TODAY! (April 1, 2022).

Audrey and Martin were together 47 years!

As a matchmaker I wanted to know their love story.

This movie appeals to me not only because my Dad had Alzheimer's, but because it's a love story.

It takes a lot of love when you marry for better or for worse, for sickness and in health, you had a journey to you and all families do when a family member gets any kind of illness, especially Alzheimer's.

Happy Birthday to my Dad and his twin, Edwin and Edward Higgins in heaven and my producer Russ Johns here in studio!

And we have Gabe Leal producing remotely who has the great Livestream calendar.

You're joining us from Montreal.

Your first job in 1991 out of Film School was as Assistant Editor on Martin's movie, Peacekeeper at War.

2:33 Martin: Jeremiah was just as lovable as he is now! Martin laughs.

3:30 How it all started.

Jeremiah asked Martin, Could I just film you playing the piano for Audrey? He used to play piano to help her sleep at night.

Martin: I have a medium-sized Steinway.

I played Paul Robeson songs mainly. She loved Paul Robeson.

4:28 Martin: I made about 30 films while we were together.

I would call her my muse in all of those films. One of them she Directed. I did the camera work.

All of them she was more or less the inspiration for.

Audrey was my muse of all of my movies.

We met at an anti-Vietnam war conference organized by my Mother who was President of a very strong peace organization called Voice of Women of Canada. She invited two women from North Vietnam to meet women peace activists in North America.

Hundreds of women gathered to meet these two women.

Audrey Shirmer was there from Boston with her camera.

I was there from Montreal with my camera.

Audrey noticed my pants were falling down. (laughter)

She helped keep my pants up while I was shooting my video camera.

When I was finished she went and did her stills.

She needed a dark room to develop her negatives. We had one where we were staying in downtown Toronto. And thus began the next 47 years together.

Jeremiah: You had a bad belt on. (laughter)

6:00 Roseann: How do you be comfortable with someone filming in your life for four years?

Martin: I was not aware of him as a cameraman. Only as a good friend coming to spend time with his

Jeremiah: The camera was on his hand as if it was a cigarette he was smoking.

Jeremiah: He was ideal to film. He knew intuitively what I needed as a camera man for 100 films and director for 30 films. He was there as a filmmaker as well.

7:45: Four clips with discussion from Dear Audrey:

Clip 1: TREE OF LIFE

Martin experiences his biggest inspiration after a car accident in 1970.

Martin: How come I'm alive?

It opened up my consciousness about nature and the whole human race.

All of my personal experiences. All of the ideas I've ever had.

It was as if I was having a first look at life itself. It was a second start for me.

It was such a strong experience I wished everybody else in the whole world could have.

I hope you go through this some day.

So much to learn.

So much to experience.

So much to enjoy.

So much to be thankful for.

Roseann: Welcome Scott and Marla Berger of Addison Taylor Fine Jewelry created this Tree of Life movement and this intention stick necklace for the setting of intentions.

They have a mission to help millions of children around the world.

On Facebook: Tree of Life Movement.

Clip 2 intro:

Buying a budgie bird with their daughter Jacqueline.

Martin's Dad had trained their bird when he was little to say Join the YMCA and Love your fellow man. But this bird was too old and I didn't have the patience to do it.

His Dad was the Founder of the YMCA there.

Fun conversation!

13:35 Then Audrey's Lost clip.

Jacqueline: She was in the store with us and now she's gone.

After much worry, Jacqueline sees and hugs her Mom.

Martin: Oh I see her. Here she comes, Martin says calmly.

I was sure she would show up. It wasn't the first time she'd disappeared.

Let's stick together, Jacqueline repeats. It was her first experience and it was traumatic.

Jacqueline also has autism.

Jeremiah: There's another scene where Martin describes how when Audrey would get lost he wouldn't follow her or direct her. He would find out where she would be going.

17:27 Martin asks if my father disappeared often.

Roseann: He was living alone at 90. He fell in the back yard.

He was lying in the Arizona sun after a fall until the neighbor heard him calling out.

His hip had died and we got him a new hip at 90.

And he wasn't at home where he knew where everything was.

Martin shares Audrey lived 40 years in their home.

19:19 Clip 3:

Nick's Birthday singing.

Jacqueline shares a beautiful scrapbook gift for Nick:

"A Beginning Without End: Photos Along the Way" book of Audrey Shirmer photos.

Touching scene!

Martin shared he has one son and six daughters!

Jeremiah: This is one of the most moving scenes of the film.

I went through loss with my mother with Lou Gehrig's disease.

I feel Nick gets upset because when you see a parent that sick, everything in your life has intensity. And you feel things more.

When my mom had Lou Gehrig's, you feel. Everything makes you cry.

Everything is more intense.

Roseann: You made it seem so real. Like Hollywood. And it's real life.

You look like you have more than one camera going.

23:03 Jeremiah: From the beginning, I wanted my presence to be as invisible as possible.

So I bought a very good camera and I had all the equipment built in so I wasn't relying on a sound guy.

I could film like I'm making a home movie and have a very small footprint and not bother people.

Yet have good sound quality and a good camera.

Being unnoticed is partly choosing the right equipment.

It was like a little still camera with a little mike.

And a lapel mike hidden under Martin's shirt.

The audio was on all the time.

The sound from his mike was best.

24:38 Roseann: Four years of filming. The amount of film has to be astronomical?

Jeremiah: I think I might have had 80 or 90 hours to make an hour and a half movie.

There wasn't a lot of wasted film.

One scene I cut out. (A story not gotten to.)

25:34 Clip 4:

Life Gives You An A

Martin: I taught a total of about 25 years in film production. I made some good friendships.

He reads from a box of student notes from my class at Concordia.

"He's more than just a teacher.

We learned about ourselves."

And more that makes him laugh.

26:28 Martin: I didn't believe in marking, so I gave them all A's. I always had trouble with administration doing that. I could never bring myself to believe that you can evaluate, give a mark to artistic talent.

I mean, the main thing is to encourage the creative spirit of each person to come out.

And you can't do that by giving marks.

Roseann:

"I want you as my professor."

Jeremiah's film,

"Reel Injun" is in the exhibition at the Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

Reel Injun and Rumble won the Screen Award and Gemini Award in Canada.

Rumble is about the influence of Native Americans on blues, jazz and rock and roll.

It would be really exciting if someone in Arizona wanted to interview Jeremiah Hayes here for the Phoenix Film Festival for that story!

Martin Duckworth won the Quebec lifetime achievement award - the Prix Albert-Tessier , given to individuals for an outstanding career in Quebec cinema. It is named after one of the Founding Fathers of documentaries in Quebec.

Hey CANADIAN FRIENDS!

Dear Audrey screens at additional festivals, including:

Toronto April 6, 2022.

Festival Cinéma du Monde de Sherbrooke, April 9, 2022 8:30 pm and April 11, 12:30 pm.

Dear Audrey will also begin showing in theaters in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and other Canadian cities starting in May!

Dr. Jessica Langbaum special guest.

Update.

Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix Arizona.

See Dr. Jessica Langbaum Alzheimer's Research slides in comments.

34:30 Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia.

The disease starts building up in a person's brain at least 20 years before the memory and thinking problems emerge. This gives us a real opportunity to intervene we hope early to halt the progression before it continues into full blown dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

There are over 6.5 million people living with Alzheimer's in the United States.

The largest increase is occurring in Arizona.

This will grow as people live longer lives.

Age is one of the biggest risk factors, though there are people of all ages.

And genetics and family history.

We hope to intervene with lifestyle factors, heart health, brain health, getting exercise are ways we might be able to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Like Roseann's a matchmaker, I'm a research matchmaker. There is a research study opportunity for everybody out there.

You may join a research site every year or few years for tests, or experimental a clinical trial where you take an experimental education or do an experimental intervention, or help with an online study with a memory test.

39:49 Martin: I'm hoping that the message people can get out of this film is that Alzheimer's patients respond to love. It means more to them the sicker they get. The more they need it. The more they respond to it. And the closer you feel to them.

Dr. Langbaum: I'm interested in how we can fill these studies faster, open to anyone 18 and older.

(You will fall in love with Martin as he asks beautiful questions and shares his experience in this Q&A.)

43:48 Dr. Langbaum: There's a video on the Banner website with her talking about her Grandfather who was brilliant and could always remember everything. Until he couldn't navigate a website.

He had mild cognitive impairment until full blown Alzheimer's.

She shares that experience.

And the toll it took on her grandmother and mother and siblings.

What I do is also for myself and my family.

Alzheimer's is a slow death.

I didn't come to terms with it ever that it results in the death of our partners. Is there a way to make it less painful, Martin asks.

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death, Dr. Langbaum shares.

Roseann: There's Still a Person In There is the most important book I was referred to early on when my Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. No matter who my Dad thought he was, we could still laugh every day even if he couldn't remember I was there yesterday.

When he was blowing out his candles for his birthday I asked, Dad, do you know how old you are?

I don't know. 30?

Close! 30+30+31.

91? Boy I don't believe it!

He was happy with chocolate cake and friends around him!

They are trying hard every single day to be right.

Dear Audrey showings at the Phoenix Film Festival:

Q&A with Jeremiah Hayes

52:20

SUPPORT ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH

Dr. Langbaum:

We are testing medications to see if any one of those or more than one might stop stuff happening in the brain from progression and stop memory and thinking problems from progressing in the first place. We are very optimistic.

You can look to see about being connected to a research opportunity near you.

55:30 Martin: Answering what he is doing now, I'm writing down a journal every day as part of my research.

I still haven't learned how to fill that time. I'm very lucky to have seven grandchildren in the Montreal area. Finally reading hundreds of books I've collected all of my life. I'm a great fan of Rachmaninoff's piano - cello duo.

Roseann: Thanks for joining us everyone!

Thank you for your love and support and for being great humans.

PS I saw Dear Audrey with Jeremiah's Q&A today! It is wayyyy better than the clips in this livestream portrayed. And they were exceptional! So many lessons and touching moments. Moments that make you laugh. And cry. And reflect on what matters. ♥️

HEARTFELT GRATITUDE! Grateful thanks to Jeremiah Hayes for being up for this adventure, bringing in Martin Duckworth and Dr. Jessica Langbaum for putting in the time and effort and caring about the impact of Alzheimer's has on all of us. And helping us imagine a future without it. Thank you for capturing Martin's message that LOVE is the most beneficial remedy.

DOUBLE GRATITUDE TO MY PRODUCERS! You blow me away, Russ Johns and Gabé Leal! You've shown me such a spectacular glimpse of what is possible in livestreaming. Stay tuned, world! The adventures and people you will meet in this journey together will impact your lives in positive ways beyond what I can predict or hope for!

♥️🎥 God, I love all of you! All of you watching and all of you who made this first episode which led to this first Linkedin article so special!