In Life, a documentary about people living longer, thriving in life, exemplars of positive age beliefs, is set to premier on September 5, 2024, 5–7 pm at the Shalin Liu Performing Arts Center. Support for the film came through a grant from the Law Stroud Foundation.
The event is free to the public. Seats will be first come, first serve. Audiences of all ages are widely welcomed, including film lovers, artists, art appreciators, musicians and anyone interested in how living well in later years can continue to center on pursuits most important to us in our younger years.
Meghan Shea of Persistent Productions describes the film: “In Life consists of three video portraits of artists creating original work in their later years. Featuring writer Betsy Cox, painter Goh Beng Kwan, and pianist Leeanne Rees, the film captures their artistic vantage points and offers perspectives into their processes for their most recent works. Each artist is set within their own short film which moves fluidly between their biographies and their present day, providing insight into the style, grit, and personas that continue to produce high level creative work in their 80s and 90s. The films show us that aging can be fuel for artistic production and hitting one’s stride creatively speaking. Viewers will also discover mentors, guides and ideas that inspired perseverance.”
“At the least, seeing the film will certainly challenge ageist stereotypes,” says Steven Law, President of the Law Stroud Foundation.
The screening will also feature a live performance. Leanne Rees, from Albuquerque, NM, is expected to perform one or more of her compositions.
Reading van Gogh, Elizabeth Cox’s most recent book, will be available for purchase.
“I hope people will be thinking about living longer in new ways when they leave Shalin Liu,” Law adds. “An idea brought to our Board of Directors in proposal form will be actualized before our eyes. It’s exciting to imagine the impact this film will have on those that see it. Already, we’re fielding interest in screenings in other locations.”
Persistent Productions, based in Rockport, MA and Singapore, is an award-winning film production company that has worked in more than 35 countries. Their distribution channels include the United Nations General Assembly, World Health Organization, and the Biden Administration’s Inauguration. They have created films for Yo-Yo Ma, Condé Naste, BBC Storyworks, The Atlantic, and SONY Music, among others.
PP’s social impact filmmaking has been recognized by Social Media Impact and the CUGH Pulitzer Global Health Video awards, among others. Their documentary portfolio includes Under the Turban, which examines the Sikh religion and premiered at The United Nations Film Festival. In the Spirit of Laxmi, a documentary about the rewilding of a leopard which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, went on to win Best Short Documentary at The Gold Coast Film Festival. Their most recent feature, How I Live, examines equity in global childhood cancer. The film, a collaboration with the Dana Farber/Boston Children’s Hospital Global Health Initiative and supported by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, was launched at The United Nations General Assembly and went on to win Best Director at the Chambal International Film Festival and Best Feature at the United Kingdom’s Fisheye Film Festival. Since the film’s launch in 2020 PP has worked collaboratively with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative on a global impact distribution campaign.
On August 30, 2024, 7-9 pm, in anticipation of the premier, Decouvert Fine Art, 73 Main St. Rockport, will host art opening featuring the work of four artists living longer on Cape Ann: Karen Watson, George Anderson, Tom Nicholas and Peter Leone.
Karen Watson is an award-winning editorial illustrator whose photography and collages have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and many other publications, corporations and institutions. She’s also a poet specializing in haiku. “Through my work, I strive be mindful of a moment, appreciative of life and the passing of time. I’m humbled and inspired by the beauty, power and mystery of nature, including human nature in all its cycles.”
George Anderson is a contemporary artist. As a graduate of commercial art school in Montreal, he started an ad agency that grew to have offices in Montreal, Toronto and Brussels and was eventually sold to DDB New York, allowing him to focus full time on a career in fine art. Inspired by a quote from Emerson, “It is in the doing that you gain the power,” he “painted when it seemed impossible.” He adds, that “Working through ideas, gaining rapport with the canvas, instilled in me a power and inner strength inherent in my work.” He’s had solo exhibitions in NY, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Vermont and England. His paintings have been collected in Canada, Europe, Asia and all US states.
Tom Nicholas, N.A., AWS. is an Academician of the National Academy of Design and a Dolphin Fellow of the American Watercolor Society. Included among his more than 250 awards are 42 Medals of Honor. He has had 35 one-artist shows in New York City, Washington, Boston, California, Florida, Maine and Texas. Since 1960, Tom has painted throughout Europe and the United States. His work appears courtesy of the Todd Montanaro Gallery scheduled to open in a new location soon.
Peter Leone writes that sculpting is a “source of deeply felt happiness.” He learned about drawing, modeling clay, mold making, castings from Vincent Ricci at the Museum School in Boston. “There’s much satisfaction that comes from my work in the studio and casting process in the foundry: looking at tool marks, discovering texture, the tactile feel of the cast bronze, studying how patinas look in different lights, seeing the imperfections, being reminded that nothing is perfect and there is beauty in imperfection and reflecting on my hope that others will take pleasure in seeing and enjoying the beauty in my work as a part of their lives.”
The In Life exhibit closes on Sunday, September 15, 2024.