Local residents create short films for festival, need votes to win People’s Choice award
Two local senior living facilities have short films that are finalists in an upcoming film festival and need online votes to help secure one of the awards up for grabs.
Residents and associates of Freedom Village Bradenton and Freedom Pointe at the Villages created the short films that were entered in Brookdale Senior Living Inc.’s Celebrate Aging Film Festival.
The two short films — which were written, shot, directed and edited by residents and associates of the communities on iPads — are among the nine finalists for awards out of 62 submitted films. Each are about five minutes long and have a theme of celebrating aging.
The film “Old or Older,” created at Freedom Pointe at the Villages, shows a couple who start out with different ideas on exercise during this stage of their life, but don’t worry, there’s a happy ending.
“Our residents worked so hard in putting this film together,” says Rachelle King, resident programs manager for Freedom Pointe and the film’s producer. “They wanted the film to be something that other generations can see that they are not old, just older.”
At Freedom Village Bradenton, the group came together to chronicle 100-year-old Mary Ledbetter, who fulfills her dream of learning to fly a plane. Debbie Grubb wrote the script for the short film titled “Don’t Let Life Fly By.”
“Our main message is to prove that age is just a number,” said Katie Penta, the resident programs director at Freedom Village Bradenton and director of the film. “You’re only as old as you feel. Seniors can be an inspiration to the rest of the world, including younger generations.”
Penta, Grubb, Freedom Pointe executive director Walt Stroly, Jack Adams and Pat Ferullo will go to Tennessee for the award film festival award ceremony with hopes of bringing home an award for “Don’t Let Life Fly By.”
The nine finalists represent categories of best writing, best technical design, best acting and best picture categories. One film will also win the Courage award, which “Don’t Let Life Fly By” hopes to snag. “Old or Older” hopes to bring home an award in the Best Acting category.
All nine finalist films are eligible for the Ecolab People’s Choice Award and that’s where viewers can help.
Online voting for the Ecolab People’s Choice award ends Sept. 30. Cast your vote online at visit.brookdale.com/peoples-choice-awards/.
The second annual Celebrate Aging Film Festival will be held Oct. 3 in Franklin, Tenn.