News and Press Releases
Documentary on Aging to Premier at Arsenal Center for the Arts
January 7, 2006 - 7:00 pmWatertown, MA - Growing Old, a feature-length documentary on aging, will premier at the Arsenal Center for the Arts on January 7, 2006.
How does one define aging? Is age a matter of the body or the mind? What is the future of aging in America? Growing Old is a film that addresses these questions through conversations with elders, baby boomers, and health care professionals. These slices of life focus on how people embrace the wonders of aging and deal with its challenges as well.
Subjects of the film include:
Helen Metros - Helen has been a waitress at Charlie's Kitchen, a restaurant in
Cambridge MA, for over thirty five years. Seventy-four years old, she
performs her job with more strength and energy than most people half her
age. Helen surrounds herself with people she cares about, and her healthy
views of aging and life uplift those around her.
Bob Ross - Four years ago, Bob was diagnosed with colon cancer. At the time, he was given six months to live. His strong physical constitution and his determination to fight his disease have kept him alive years beyond the time that doctors thought he would have. Bob speaks frankly about living his life, his perspective on the world, and how he has made his life meaningful.
Dr. Paul Mazur - Dr. Mazur believes in giving quality treatment to elders, regardless of their income. He treats people throughout greater Boston: in group homes, nursing homes, assisted living, and on the street. He tries to give his patients the best possible care, whether it's placing them in the right kind of elder facility, helping them decide if they want to go into hospice care, or just making sure they get their immunizations and regular check ups.
Chester Higgins, Jr. - Chester is a photographer who is frustrated with the negative way that people view aging in America. Through his photo project Elder Grace he illuminates the nobility of growing old. By creating positive images of elders, he hopes to foster not just acceptance but celebration of aging.
Hearth - As the baby boomers become elders, their large numbers are going to put tremendous strains on elder care. In Boston, elder care is already fractured, forcing many elders into the streets. Hearth (Formerly the Committee to End Elder Homelessness) is dedicated to stopping elder homelessness, so that all elders can be given a chance to age well.
About the Director:
Growing Old is the directing debut of Michael Neel. He
has worked as a Director of Photography and Editor on a variety of projects,
including independent documentaries, narrative films, stop-motion animation,
and television. Most recently, he produced and edited a commemorative film of the Arsenal Center for the Arts,
which played at the Grand Opening Gala for the Center on September 10, 2005.
About the Arsenal Center for the Arts:
The Arsenal Center for the Arts officially opened
its doors to the public September 10, 2005, and thousands of patrons have
attended concerts, productions, exhibits, classes, workshops, and special
events during the Center’s first two months of programs. Centrally located in Watertown, the Arsenal Center for the Arts is
Greater Boston’s new home for the visual, literary, and performing arts. The arts center houses theaters, classrooms, galleries, artist studios,
rehearsal spaces, and gathering places - all under one roof.