Ohio premieres Award-winning documentary “Alive Inside” in Columbus

COLUMBUS – “Alive Inside” is a film by Michael Rossato-Bennett that explores the power that music can have to reconnect people with dementia to the world around them. The film follows Dan Cohen, the founder and executive director of Music & Memory, a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of personalized music to improve the lives of the elderly and infirm. The film won the 2014 Sundance Audience Award and premieres in Ohio at the Drexel Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014.

The Ohio Department of Aging is proud to partner with CAPA to bring “Alive Inside” to Ohio. The film’s Columbus debut will include a Talk-Back panel following the 7pm screening, featuring national and state experts on dementia and gerontology. Panelists include:

-Salli Bollin, MSW, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter
-Bonnie K. Burman, Sc.D., director of the Ohio Department of Aging
-Dan Cohen, MSW, founder and executive director of Music & Memory
-Peter J. Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine (Neurology) Case Western Reserve University and the University of Toronto.

“This movie demonstrates with deep meaning the kinds of person-centered care innovation that Ohio is embracing throughout our health care and long-term care systems,” said Director Burman. “The principles and practices of Music & Memory hold tremendous potential for older Ohioans and their caregivers, and we are excited to start the dialogue in our state about the power of music to change lives.”

Reservations for the Sept. 4 screening and Talk-Back are being accepted until noon on Tuesday, Sept. 2, by contacting [email protected] or 614-466-1055. Tickets are on sale now at www.Drexel.net, by phone at 614-231-1050 or at the Drexel Theatre box office (2254 E. Main St.). The film will officially open for public screening on Sept. 5.

A key component of the Music & Memory program is the use of digital music players, like iPods, to play music for people with dementia. The Drexel Theatre will collect new and gently used iPods in the lobby throughout the film’s run for donation to Music & Memory.

Learn more about Music & Memory at www.aging.ohio.gov/services/music-memory/