BELLOWS FALLS — On Wednesday, March 12, at 7 p.m., the Rockingham Free Public Library is scheduled to present Alive Inside, winner of the documentary audience award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
This opportunity was made possible by Bridgette Hartman, a Bellows Falls Union High School senior who has chosen the film as the subject of her senior project, and Tammy Mellish, health careers facilitator at Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (SVAHEC).
Alive Inside is a cinematic exploration of music's capacity to awaken our souls and uncover the deepest part of our humanity. The film follows social worker Dan Cohen as he fights a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music's ability to combat memory loss and a deep sense of self to those suffering from it, according to the film's promotional material.
The film shows family members who have observed the effect of personalized music on their loved ones. Illuminating testimony is offered by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks and musician Bobby McFerrin. To view a short clip from the documentary, go to www.aliveinside.us/#trailer.
After the film, audience members can learn more about how a local Music & Memory project could enhance the lives of family and friends who are recovering from a stroke or a traumatic brain injury, suffering from depression, or living with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
All are invited to donate iTunes cards or an old/new iPod to the Music & Memory Project at this event. Coordinators will ensure that these donated items will be forwarded to www.musicandmemory.org where they will be cleaned, outfitted with headphones, and distributed to area nursing homes.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 802-463-4270, email anne@rockinghamlibrary.org or stop by the library at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls. The public presentation of this film is made possible by SVAHEC.
For middle and high school presentations on Music & Memory or for information about SVAHEC's healthcare career programming, please contact Tammy at 802-885-2126 ext.207 or email tmellish@svahec.org.