Dancing Under the Gallows

This documentary short features a remarkable piano player. I don't want to ruin the things that are revealed, so I'll avoid further details except to say that the film is about Alice Herz-Sommer. Here's the link to the movie's website.

Must See: Ken Dychtwald's Keynote Address at the 2010 ASA/NCOA Conference

Ken Dychtwald covers so much important territory in this keynote address at the June, 2010 American Society on Aging / National Council on Aging joint conference. If you're interested in being alive over the next century, regardless of how you feel about aging, older adults or anything else, you have a vested interest in this speech. Dychtwald is an engaging speaker and this 15 minutes flies by.

Youth Knows No Pain: A Look at the Anti-Aging Beauty Industry

This documentary, Youth Knows No Pain, examines our fear of aging from the perspective of the 60 billion dollar a year anti-aging beauty industry.

Promo

I haven't had the chance to see the documentary in full, but am eagerly awaiting the chance! One of the facts revealed in the film was how much money the filmmaker spent on just dying the gray out of her hair, which seems financially untenable! I have a friend with early gray hair who is considering foregoing her $200 / month hair coloring costs and letting it all go grey. On the one hand, I celebrate this idea of embracing her true beauty (she's one who is fortunate to have a gorgeous grey!). The trick is that, unlike a woman in her 20's with grey hair who will be perceived as and treated as a uniquely young woman with silver hair, my friend is in her mid-thirties and will instantly age "up" into her 40's. The concern I have about this is that, after reading numerous studies about how our self-perception shifts with the way others treat us, the biases that are directed at older women, and the physiological outcomes of our internalized ageism, her self-concept may be altered in a way that could impact her healthful aging process. I know it seems like a stretch, an exaggeration of the potential physical harms of ageism, but who knows where these micro-inequities start and what true impact they have?

Electric Chairs - A Short Film

This is a charming short film from a series on Hulu called "The Art of Seduction." The film is entitled "Electric Chairs," and it turns an eye on elder romance and connection.

Movie: Silverstreaks

In the spirit of full disclosure - I have no interest in running, especially not in running marathons. Having said that, however, this upcoming documentary on older women marathon runners looks very inspiring. The site doesn't disclose when or where the film will be released. I think it's a short piece. Perhaps I'm becoming pleasantly jaded about aging, but while it's impressive anyone completes a marathon, I'm not blown away by the fact that women over the age of 65 have done it. To me, 65 seems the new 45.

Check out the trailer at Silver Streaks the Movie.

Older Adults Riding Bicycles

I've been working on a project related to law, ethics and older drivers. The research has led me to look at alternative transportation methods, but, funny enough... it never occurred to me to consider an elder cyclists' program. It just goes to show you how automobile-centric my mind is!!!

This program looks fantastic! I especially like how they note that even people with fall-risks can exercise AND transport this way because the tricycles are well balanced. Talk about liberation!

The 91 Year Old Yoga Teacher and Dancer

We should all be so lucky!
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/04/12/n_cmr_92_year_old_yoga.cnnmoney/

Documentary on Ageism and Employment

I am in awe at Patricia Sahertian's moxy. Her ability to see a problem and tackle it, head on, is so inspiring. After being impacted by ageism in the workplace, she decided to make a movie about it. The resulting documentary, Cut Back: facing ageism, has been posted in its entirety on YouTube. Talk about doing a mitzvah!

Here's the first installment of this excellent documentary: