Virginia Film Festival

Winner of the 2014 Sundance Documentary Audience Award, this film chronicles the astonishing journey of individuals suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, revitalized by listening to music. Following social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, the film challenges perceptions of our healthcare system, aiming to demonstrate music’s healing powers. Interviews with noted neurologist Oliver Sacks and musician Bobby McFerrin, add a professional lens through which to evaluate this epidemic, and alternative solutions in these seemingly hopeless cases. This beautiful glimpse into these patients’ and their imperturbable caretakers’ lives demonstrates that music can transform us all, body and soul. Discussion with Ellen Phipps, Kate Tamarkin, and Carol Manning (U.Va.)

Supported by University of Virginia Health System