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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, December 4-6, 2019 C-3 The Park Record Nonprofits partner for a free ‘Moonlight Sonata’ COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE Park City Film will present a free screening of Irene Taylor Brodsky’s 2019 Sundance Film Festival documentary “Moonlight Sonata” in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association Utah Chapter on Thursday at the Jim Santy Auditorium. Panel discussion will follow the free screening SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record Although Irene Taylor Brodsky’s “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements” centers around her son Jonas, who was born deaf and had cochlear implant when he was four, the documentary is also about her father Paul, who has dementia. After seeing the film and interviewing Taylor Brodsky during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Park City Film Executive Director Katherine Wang thought it would be the perfect vehicle to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association Utah Chapter for Park City Film’s Reel Community Series free screening on Thursday at the Jim Santy Auditorium. “Our Reel Community Series uses film to help elevate the missions of our nonprofit partners, and we’ve been trying to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association for a long time,” Wang said. “We wanted to open up the communication, because getting old will affect us all eventually, if it hasn’t already. And while some of us won’t get dementia, a good number of us will.” The film addresses issues on multiple levels, Wang said. “First of all, it’s about the filmmaker’s son, but it’s also about her parents, who make the decision later in life to get cochlear implants so they can participate in the hearing world,” she said. “On another level, it’s about her parents getting older.” It also shows Paul, an inventor who invented the TTY voice-to-text device for the deaf, slipping more and more into dementia, Wang said. “The grandparents’ story is an amazing component of the film, and I was struck by it when I first saw the film,” she said. The film’s title comes from Beethoven’s famous Piano Sonata No. 14, which he wrote while he was going deaf. “The filmmaker tells the story about ability and disability and perceptions, by breaking the film up in three different parts, which mirrors the three movements of the Beethoven work,” Wang said. “It’s a beautifully made film and I think audiences of all ages can connect with and appreciate. It’s important for people to see this, so they can develop some empathy of what it is like.” This film identifies and emphasizes the impact that this disease has on families and caregivers...” Ronnie Daniel, Alzheimer’s Association Utah Chapter exective director The screening will be followed by a panel with Dr. Micheal Galindo, specialist in internal medicine and palliative care with Intermountain Health Group; Ronnie Daniel, executive director of the Utah Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association Utah Chapter; Sheryl Bagshaw, dementia practitioner and educator; and Stephanie Mathis, executive director of Sego Lily “Moonlight Sonata” screening When: 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 Where: Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Ave. What: Free Web: parkcityfilm.org and alz.org/utah Center for the Abused Deaf. Daniel said he is grateful that Park City Film partnered with his organization for the screening. “One of the things we are about is growing awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia,” Daniel said. “So It’s great anytime we can partner with a great community organization like Park City Film to connect with people who are living with the disease and their caregivers who might not know what resources are available.” More than 5.5 million Americans may have dementia caused by Alzheimer’s, according to the National Institute on Aging. While it’s natural to worry about the patients, it’s easy to forget about the caretakers, Daniel said. “One of the things that stands out of the film is that it emphasizes what we affectionately call the ‘sandwich generation,’ the group of people, like the mother in the film, who is not only caring for her child with special needs, and also caring for her aging parents, including one who is living with dementia,” he said. “This film identifies and emphasizes the impact that this disease has on families and caregivers.” Daniel knows what it’s like to care for and lose loved one to Alzheimer’s. “I lost my grandfather to the disease, and three of his siblings HOLIDAY POTTERY SALE Bruce Larrabee’s Holiday Pottery Sale SATURDAY & SUNDAY December 7 & 8, 2019 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 110 Aspen Drive Summit Park, UT 84098 801.450.8747 Many items at wholesale or less!!! Bring boxes, bags, peanuts, or other packing materials to receive an additional 10% off Please see ‘Sonata,’ C-3 Get the top local news stories delivered directly to your inbox with a new weekly email update from the Park Record! Sign up now at bit.ly/prrecordroundup |