Join us on the journey
Our Kickstarter campaign is now, live! Almost five years to the day and the journey of our project has reached a hugely significant step...
In October 2016, the extraordinarily talented and award-winning writer, Mark Brandi, wrote a piece in The Guardian, in which Mark reflects on his late father’s diagnosis of dementia and the impact on him and Mark’s family. After reading it, our writer and director, David, was incredibly moved and felt compelled to adapt the story into a short film. David wrote a screenplay inspired by the piece. You can find the link to the article here
In 2017, at the very beginning of this film project journey, Dementia Australia made an incredibly generous one-off contribution.
Fast forward to now and our Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise the production budget is LIVE!
'Goodnight, Papa' is a universal story about family, love, and the relationship between parent and child. Spanning several decades exploring the diverse life and loves of Roberto, and through vivid metaphor and powerful symbolism, the story bears witness to the intense grief of both his and his family's loss.
This short film will be important, not only as a work of art but also as a way of raising awareness about the impact of dementia on the person with the disease as well as the family and carers, supporting a person living with the condition.
Every person involved in our project holds an important role. They each represent a piece of the mosaic that reveals a beautiful, moving and emotionally powerful film that can help raise awareness of dementia. By contributing, you too will become a part of the mosaic and the magic of filmmaking, that is collaboration.
Your support and generosity will see us over the line. We really appreciate any support you’re able to give and any contribution you’re able to make will be greatly received. All the information is in the Kickstarter link.
Whilst most terminal diseases impact the body, Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia, directly affects the brain. As a consequence, the body shuts down slowly, and each function has a varying rate of decay. While some may survive for many years, others progress more rapidly. Meanwhile, with advances in science and technology, we are finding cures and effective treatments for many diseases more quickly than ever before.
It is hoped the film will raise public awareness of dementia, allowing more funding and research not only in search of a cure but also in support of those living and caring for those with the disease. Most commonly associated with dementia is memory loss – often characterised by the peculiar tragedy of failing to recognise loved ones, and the devastation of losing a lifetime of memories.
We're in pre-production, and we're using the crowdfunding website, Kickstarter, to help raise our production budget. With lots of great rewards available, we're asking you for your help to bring this project to fruition.
It was the following passage from Mark Brandi's beautifully written, moving and emotionally powerful piece that inspired our writer and director, David, to adapt the piece into a short film:
"I remember how the doctor described the brain as like a hotel with many rooms, each with connected functions. In one room, the ability to problem-solve is kept. Adjoining this, our physical coordination. In another – surely the most untidy – our memories."
'As the dementia progresses,” she explained, “the light in each room is turned off.'"
"Still, I sometimes imagine the brain as the doctor described it, just three years ago. And I see my father – the publican – strolling around that hotel late at night, visiting each room. He lingers in the doorways, savours the memory one last time, before turning out the lights."
"And we, his family, wait in the last room. We sit under a fizzing, dying globe and reminisce about old, forgotten times.
But all the while we listen, knowing one night we will hear footsteps in the hallway. And then a knock at the door.
“Buona notte,” he will say, before we are left in darkness."
You can find the link to Mark's article, here