‘Keys Bags Names Words’: Documentary about Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Released for World Alzheimer’s Day
By Jim Nelson | September 21, 2023
September 21 was World Alzheimer’s Day, and in recognition a new feature documentary, “Keys Bags Names Words,” has just been released worldwide.
Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Cynthia Stone, “Keys Bags Names Words” portrays stories of both the personal and global impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, while following a cohort of young scientists and artists from around the world as they harness creativity, humor, and compassion to lead the way toward hope and resilience. As global populations age, the number of people living with dementia grows; that number is expected to triple by 2050 to 152 million — which would overwhelm families, communities, public health care systems, and economies worldwide.
The inspiration for “Keys Bags Names Words” came from the “hear/say” oral history project that is part of the Global Brain Health Institute based at the University of California, San Francisco, and Trinity College Dublin. The wide range of personal stories in the project provided the basis for this hopeful and moving look at families around the world and how they approach aging and brain health.
Director Cynthia Stone sees the film as an inspiring testament to the human spirit, and its purpose to serve as an advocacy tool.
“We want to give people tools to connect,” Stone says, “to lessen stigma, to care for their own brain health, and to see the extraordinary work being done to address this global challenge.”
Cynthia Stone has been creating social justice documentary-style pieces for nearly three decades.
The Global Brain Health Institute is dedicated to protecting the world’s aging populations from threats to brain health by bringing together a powerful mix of disciplines, professions, backgrounds, skills, perspectives, and approaches to developing new science-based solutions.
To view the trailer for “Keys Bags Names Words,” click here, and to host a screening, click here.
