Cycle of Memory
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Documentary, Family
What do we all lose if our elders cannot remember? With Alzheimer’s and dementia devastating over 50 million families and communities worldwide, our memories are more important than ever. Intergenerational connection is key to facing this epidemic and holding onto what’s truly important.
Cycle of Memory
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Documentary, Family
Green Light
This campaign raised $13,227 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
160 supporters | followers
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What do we all lose if our elders cannot remember? With Alzheimer’s and dementia devastating over 50 million families and communities worldwide, our memories are more important than ever. Intergenerational connection is key to facing this epidemic and holding onto what’s truly important.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
OUR STORY
Ever since I can remember, Grandpa Mel would tell me the story of his 1945 bike ride adventure from his childhood home in Brooklyn to the city of Philadelphia.
It was an adventure he would remember for the rest of his life… until Grandpa Mel lost his memory to Alzheimer’s.
So over 70 years later, my brother Koby and I are going on the same 100-mile journey ourselves. Grandpa may have lost his memory, but we are going to find it.
Along the way, we search for family members, friends and grandpa's bike trip companion, who can help piece together the life of a man who can no longer remember it.
THE FILM
Now and Again is a feature documentary weaving together a bicycle quest with one families’ multigenerational history and their struggles with Mel’s Alzheimers, becoming a reflection on time, memory, and family relationships.
We’ve recorded over 75 hours of the bike trip, interviews, and intimate family moments, preserved and digitized precious family films from the ‘50s to ‘90s, built a collaborative team of experienced filmmakers, and have traveled the country pitching the film and workshopping with other filmmakers. Now in post-production, this labor of love is almost ready for the world. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
WHY NOW?
Alzheimer’s Disease is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Almost six million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, and that number will more than double by 2050. The emotional and financial toll of this disease on caretakers is staggering. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 16 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with dementia and the real costs associated with treatment and caretaking is almost $300 billion in the U.S. already. This figure is expected to triple by 2050. The disease not only devastates the patient and caretaker, but their extended families and communities. It is overwhelming family budgets and the U.S. healthcare system alike. This disease is not only a frightening and disruptive presence in the lives of our elders, but younger generations are increasingly affected and at risk of having their lives disrupted.
The children and grandchildren of the older generations are also beginning to recognize how modern life, put together with the epidemic of dementia, strips away valuable connections between the generations. There is a cost to losing these relationships. Multi-generational ties once enriched the lives of entire communities and provided resilience in hard times. Nowadays, we love and appreciate our elders, but often we do not really know them.
IMPACT
Intergenerational connection is key to addressing the Alzheimer’s crisis. How many films about Alzheimer’s and memory loss include younger generations in the conversation?
Along with festival and streaming distribution, NOW AND AGAIN will launch a national tour connecting colleges with senior centers, engaging cross-generational dialogue around the topics of this film.
We also want this film to be at the center of dialogue addressing the importance of increased funding for research for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, at the local and national level. We aim for the film to be shown to governments, scientists, NGOs and institutions that are critical in shedding light on this issue, and paving the way to helping find a cure.
As the prevalence of Alzheimer’s exponentially increases each year, younger generations will be increasingly more affected and at risk. Since Millennials are at the cusp of a caretaker role and eventually the potential patient themselves, this intergenerational awareness and urgency is crucial to convey.
How can you help?
* Donate. Any amount helps. Pledge directly or check out the fun incentive options.
* Follow the campaign. Reaching different milestones (250, 500, etc) releases extra benefits and support for us.
* Spread the word - share, share, share on social media.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Sound Design, Sound Clean Up & Sound Mixing
Costs $1,000
To be able to get the very best sound!
Share this update!
About This Team
Alex Leff (director/producer) earned a Bachelor of Arts studying documentary film at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. In addition to his studies, Alex directed and produced two feature films on the climate justice movement. His 2013 Students & Goliath: How The Youth Took On The Fossil Fuel Industry was hailed by eminent environmentalist Bill McKibben and screened at dozens of colleges and universities nationwide. For his 2015 feature, In The Path of Resistance, Alex followed three front-line communities living along the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to highlight their struggle and resiliency. In The Path of Resistance was picked up by RT for international broadcast and translated into Spanish, Arabic, and Russian.
Meredith Chin (consulting producer) is a documentary film producer, currently producing a feature called Duty Free. She is a 2019 Film Independent Fellow. Meredith began her career in the technology industry at Facebook, taking the company from a college directory to a global phenomenon and over one billion users. She also led communications for Instagram after it was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Meredith consults for several early-stage start-ups to develop company narratives and support in growth and social strategies. She currently also invests in and advises startups led by women and people of color. Meredith holds a BA in journalism from Penn State University.
Glynnis Ritter (social media manager) is a freelance outreach producer and festival programmer. She previously worked with Swedish documentary production company WG Film for 7 years, focusing on outreach, festival and distribution strategies. Her work with the film Bikes vs Cars (2015), directed by Fredrik Gertten, helped bring the film to more than 3000 screenings in 90+ countries, facilitating a global conversation on city planning. She is currently the Director of Programming for the Patagonia Eco Film Festival in Argentina. Glynnis graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2012 with a degree in Media Production and Creative Writing.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
OUR STORY
Ever since I can remember, Grandpa Mel would tell me the story of his 1945 bike ride adventure from his childhood home in Brooklyn to the city of Philadelphia.
It was an adventure he would remember for the rest of his life… until Grandpa Mel lost his memory to Alzheimer’s.
So over 70 years later, my brother Koby and I are going on the same 100-mile journey ourselves. Grandpa may have lost his memory, but we are going to find it.
Along the way, we search for family members, friends and grandpa's bike trip companion, who can help piece together the life of a man who can no longer remember it.
THE FILM
Now and Again is a feature documentary weaving together a bicycle quest with one families’ multigenerational history and their struggles with Mel’s Alzheimers, becoming a reflection on time, memory, and family relationships.
We’ve recorded over 75 hours of the bike trip, interviews, and intimate family moments, preserved and digitized precious family films from the ‘50s to ‘90s, built a collaborative team of experienced filmmakers, and have traveled the country pitching the film and workshopping with other filmmakers. Now in post-production, this labor of love is almost ready for the world. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
WHY NOW?
Alzheimer’s Disease is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Almost six million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, and that number will more than double by 2050. The emotional and financial toll of this disease on caretakers is staggering. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 16 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with dementia and the real costs associated with treatment and caretaking is almost $300 billion in the U.S. already. This figure is expected to triple by 2050. The disease not only devastates the patient and caretaker, but their extended families and communities. It is overwhelming family budgets and the U.S. healthcare system alike. This disease is not only a frightening and disruptive presence in the lives of our elders, but younger generations are increasingly affected and at risk of having their lives disrupted.
The children and grandchildren of the older generations are also beginning to recognize how modern life, put together with the epidemic of dementia, strips away valuable connections between the generations. There is a cost to losing these relationships. Multi-generational ties once enriched the lives of entire communities and provided resilience in hard times. Nowadays, we love and appreciate our elders, but often we do not really know them.
IMPACT
Intergenerational connection is key to addressing the Alzheimer’s crisis. How many films about Alzheimer’s and memory loss include younger generations in the conversation?
Along with festival and streaming distribution, NOW AND AGAIN will launch a national tour connecting colleges with senior centers, engaging cross-generational dialogue around the topics of this film.
We also want this film to be at the center of dialogue addressing the importance of increased funding for research for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, at the local and national level. We aim for the film to be shown to governments, scientists, NGOs and institutions that are critical in shedding light on this issue, and paving the way to helping find a cure.
As the prevalence of Alzheimer’s exponentially increases each year, younger generations will be increasingly more affected and at risk. Since Millennials are at the cusp of a caretaker role and eventually the potential patient themselves, this intergenerational awareness and urgency is crucial to convey.
How can you help?
* Donate. Any amount helps. Pledge directly or check out the fun incentive options.
* Follow the campaign. Reaching different milestones (250, 500, etc) releases extra benefits and support for us.
* Spread the word - share, share, share on social media.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Sound Design, Sound Clean Up & Sound Mixing
Costs $1,000
To be able to get the very best sound!
Share this update!
About This Team
Alex Leff (director/producer) earned a Bachelor of Arts studying documentary film at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. In addition to his studies, Alex directed and produced two feature films on the climate justice movement. His 2013 Students & Goliath: How The Youth Took On The Fossil Fuel Industry was hailed by eminent environmentalist Bill McKibben and screened at dozens of colleges and universities nationwide. For his 2015 feature, In The Path of Resistance, Alex followed three front-line communities living along the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to highlight their struggle and resiliency. In The Path of Resistance was picked up by RT for international broadcast and translated into Spanish, Arabic, and Russian.
Meredith Chin (consulting producer) is a documentary film producer, currently producing a feature called Duty Free. She is a 2019 Film Independent Fellow. Meredith began her career in the technology industry at Facebook, taking the company from a college directory to a global phenomenon and over one billion users. She also led communications for Instagram after it was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Meredith consults for several early-stage start-ups to develop company narratives and support in growth and social strategies. She currently also invests in and advises startups led by women and people of color. Meredith holds a BA in journalism from Penn State University.
Glynnis Ritter (social media manager) is a freelance outreach producer and festival programmer. She previously worked with Swedish documentary production company WG Film for 7 years, focusing on outreach, festival and distribution strategies. Her work with the film Bikes vs Cars (2015), directed by Fredrik Gertten, helped bring the film to more than 3000 screenings in 90+ countries, facilitating a global conversation on city planning. She is currently the Director of Programming for the Patagonia Eco Film Festival in Argentina. Glynnis graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2012 with a degree in Media Production and Creative Writing.