A Cinemax documentary on assisted living centers will be screened at Vanderbilt University. The event is free and the public is invited.
Andrew Jenks: Room 335 is the result of a summer spent by 19-year-old filmmaker Jenks living in a Florida assisted living center as cameras rolled. He played bingo, watched Jeopardy and generally bonded with the other residents.
In a 2004 study done by the Harvard School of Public Health, it was reported that a baby boomer turns 60 every seven seconds, which is leading to more of our population living in assisted living centers. The documentary asks the question of whether this is the best way to treat our older citizens.
“The final scenes of the picture witness Jenks departing with a first-hand, heightened knowledge of the elderly and a grave sadness at the thought of leaving his friends behind – as well as concern over their collective physical deterioration,” said The New York Times.
The film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 7 in Sarratt Cinema on the Vanderbilt campus. The showing was arranged by Vanderbilt junior Ariel Astrachan, who is a spring 2008 intern at HBO, which owns Cinemax.
Jonah Quickmire Pettigrew, a filmmaker involved in the project, will introduce the screening and lead a discussion afterward.
The Vanderbilt Office of the Dean of Students is hosting the screening along with Astrachan.
Media Contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu