Genre
Synopsis
At least 55 million people worldwide are believed to be living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Nearly 10 million new cases are diagnosed each year. A growing movement of “memory choirs” promises to change the conversation around dementia care.
Neuroscientists have long known that music draws upon brain systems unaffected by dementia. They are now discovering that social singing has the potential to slow memory loss progression, diminish isolation and provide a renewed sense of purpose.
The documentary film SOUND MEMORIES follows a team at Northwestern Medicine during each phase of a study on social singing, which they hope will be the most comprehensive examination of the effects of memory choirs on people with dementia and their caregivers.
The film also features three compelling characters and their families who are involved with memory choirs: Dee Meisner, whose family has agreed to give us full access; Grant West, a member of the Amazing Grace dementia-friendly gospel chorus, who is only in the early stages of dementia and will be capable of talking about any changes he might experience; and Vladimir Garrido-Biagetti, director of the Spanish-speaking Centro chorus, who leads an innovative chorus in a community of creators.
Bio
As a storyteller, Mercedes Kane is forever fascinated by the human experience and the many ways to explore and express its contrast and connections. The founder of Daisy May Films, Mercedes most recently directed the documentaries Art and Pep (2022, Peacock), More with Less: The Power of HBCUs in America (2022), What Remains: The Burning Down of Black Wall Street (2021) and Breakfast at Ina’s (2016, Amazon Prime). Art and Pep premiered at OutFest before winning the Audience Award at the Chicago International Film Festival and being acquired by Peacock and APTV.
Mercedes is currently writing a feature story and developing a documentary about the dementia choir movement and the power of social singing. She will graduate with an MFA in narrative nonfiction from the University of Georgia in August of 2024. She happily resides in Atlanta with her husband, Sanghoon, their children Jasper and Daisy, and two mischievous tuxedo cats. Untold stories – and her young children – have been known to keep her up at night.
