How would you like to attend the wedding of a couple who fell madly in love in their 80's, visit an RV club for nomadic single seniors; and follow an 86-year-old lindy hopper who still teaches sold-out workshops around the world? You can also meet aging athletes, activists, and inmates growing old in our nation's prisons – and have these vignettes framed through the story of two rural West Virginia men whose exceptional friendship has helped them to brave the loss, grieving and isolation of old age. These stories are all part of a riveting documentary, Aging in America that explores the reality of today's elders through a series of intimate portraits; and this documentary represents one of hundreds of life-changing documentaries available through Fanlight Productions (www.fanlight.com).
Humans learn and grow through sharing our stories. Documentary films provide a creative, powerful, and emotionally and intellectually engaging medium for sharing these stories and for stimulating effective discussion and motivating positive change with thousands of people. Fanlight Productions is a leading distributor of such innovative film and video works on the social issues of our time, with a special focus on:
- healthcare
- aging and gerontology
- professional ethics
- mental health
- disabilities and chronic illness
- cross-cultural care
- gender and family issues
For organizations, agencies and advocates educating themselves and others on a variety of social/political issues around aging, disability and healthcare, Fanlight is a valuable resource for research, presentation and discussion materials. Fanlight’s collection includes Academy Award winners and nominees, as well as films that have been honored by the Sundance Film Festival, the DuPont-Columbia Journalism Awards, and major media festivals throughout the United States. All films are available for purchase or for day or weekly rentals.
Films are searchable by topic and each film has an in-depth description of its contents, a list of reviews, names of and links to related films and a link to web resources associated to the film’s topic.
California Health Advocates’ President/CEO, Clare Smith saw and recommends a series of films called Ethics Through Drama, by two registered nurses and bioethics educators, Helen Emmott and Julie Russell. Together they created a powerful series of short, one-character dramas, performed by Russell, which offer nurses, physicians, social workers and other members of the healthcare team invaluable case material for use in thinking about the every day issues in the life of a terminally ill patient/client and a host of complex choices for patients, families, and members of the healthcare team regarding end-of-life care.
Another newly released film called Phoenix Dance portrays a heroic journey of transformation and healing that challenges our expectations of what it means to be "disabled." In March, 2001, renowned dancer Homer Avila discovered that the pain in his hip was cancer. A month later, his right leg and most of his hip were amputated. Through interviews, studio rehearsals, and performances, Phoenix Dance follows the evolution of Pas, a pas de deux created for Avila by choreographer Alonzo King. In a deeply moving and intimate collaboration with dancer Andrea Flores, Avila creates a new unity — a beautiful creature with three legs and four arms — in which traditional roles are reversed: the man's vulnerability and the woman's strength sweetly complement each other, and their solo outbursts develop themes of interdependence, trust, and strength. This film and Ethics through Drama discussed above are just two examples of the diverse documentaries available for use.
For more information on Fanlight Productions, their library of films and resources, and updates on new releases, visit www.fanlight.com. You can also order a catalog of available films online.
