Gig Harbor Film Festival - Lives Well Lived
Forty people aged 75 to 100, with a collective life experience of 3000 years, share their secrets, wit, and wisdom on how to live a meaningful life.
Interview with Writer/Director Sky Bergman
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
My 99-year-old Italian grandmother inspired the film. She was still working out at the gym and cooking her signature Italian dishes (best lasagna ever) for our family. I thought no one will believe that at 99 years of age she is so active, vibrant, funny and smart! I filmed her doing the things she loved and asked her to share some words of wisdom. That short video of my grandmother won an award and became the genesis of Lives Well Lived.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film is made up of interviews with 40 people, aged 75 to 100, who share over 3000 years of collective life experience—some of the stories go very in-depth. These people come from many backgrounds and include Holocaust survivors, artists, physicians, teachers and grandmas. Lives Well Lived celebrates secrets, wit and wisdom of age. It does so with both heartbreaking and humorous stories. It is about everyday people who have overcome much to live full lives. In this wide breadth of stories, everyone will find inspiration.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
My grandmother was my rock growing up, my guiding light, my North Star. I would not be who I am today if it was not for her. I feel it is privilege and an honor to share her story with the world.
Universally, our elders are the keepers and bearers of wisdom in families and communities. But more and more, they are pushed aside, overlooked and forgotten. Unfortunately, age discrimination in our society is a reality, and I’d like to change that. As we enter an era called The Graying of the Baby Boomer Generation, I find it important to tell these relevant stories that combat the stigma of ageism, stories that prove that age is just a number, not something to dread, but, something to celebrate! And at 50 years old, I’m compelled to ask the question: What does it mean to live a life well lived?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script and film evolved with each interview. Though I had my set of questions to ask each person, I never knew what the answers would be and where they would take us. Over time, it became a much deeper and more provocative film than I originally imagined it would be.
Throughout the filming process I uncovered personal stories of resilience, many of them survived dramatic events such of WWII, Japanese Internment Camp, fighting for civil rights, great loss of loved ones, and yet, they all rose above personal tragedy and setback to live rich, rewarding full lives. Many of the stories reveal parts of our film stars’ lives that their own families did not know. As I uncovered these amazing personal stories, I wanted to honor them. I work every day to share their stories with as many people as I can.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Our audiences, both young and old, connect deeply with our film stars through their stories. Audiences share with me that they often recall someone “older” in their own lives, a grandparent, older relative or neighbor, who is equally as inspiring as our film stars. Younger audience members feel compelled to interview their grandparents, yearning to ask them the same questions we ask in the film. We have a Shared Story section on our website live-well-lived.com where visitors can interview a grandparent, elder, or mentor. We make it easy to do by providing the interview questions and a place to share the answers and upload a photograph of the interviewee.
Older audience members tell me they relate to specific antidotes in the stories we tell. For example, an older gentleman approached me after the film, he was fighting back tears as he recalled his own vivid childhood memories from The Depression that were similar to the one in the film that my grandmother tells. With heartfelt emotion he recalled how he remembered people were so poor that they stuffed paper into their shoes when they had holes in their shoes because they couldn’t afford to buy new shoes. I was touched that the film impacted him so deeply. It’s moments like this I will never forget.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We are very pleased and pleasantly delighted by the feedback we’ve received—sometimes the emotional aspect is overwhelming, but it is all deeply affirming.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Having “Lives Well Lived” profiled on www.wearemovingstories.com will expand our audience reach. I want as many people to see our film as possible. The film has screened at ten film festivals in the US and Canada. We know from winning audience choice awards that Lives Well Lived is an uplifting film that inspires an appeals to a wide, general audience. I appreciate www.wearemovingstories.com helping raise our film’s profile and expanding our audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would greatly appreciate journalists from a wide range of markets knowing about the film and helping to spread the word.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
That everybody leaves inspired and hopeful. This film tells stories of how people faced some of life’s greatest challenges, and still managed to live to the fullest and see the positive side of life.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What does it mean to live a life well lived?
Do you know someone 75+ who is a fine example of living a life well lived? Tell us why?
Would you like to add anything else?
People often ask me about my favorite words of wisdom from the film. I am partial to the advice my grandmother shared, words I try to live by: it is better to be kind than right, do a good deed whenever you can, and be happy.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I plan on doing an episodic series of Lives Well Lived. My next film project will be about love.
Interview: October 2017
______________________________________________________________________________
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
_______________________________________________________________________________
Lives Well Lived
Forty people aged 75 to 100, with a collective life experience of 3000 years, share their secrets, wit, and wisdom on how to live a meaningful life.
Length: 72 minutes
Producer: Sky Bergman
Writer/Director: Sky Bergman
About the writer, director and producer:
Sky Bergman is an accomplished, award-winning photographer and a Professor of Photography and Video at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. Lives Well Lived is Sky’s directorial debut.
Key cast: Dr. Lou Tedone, Emmy Cleaves, Bob Cleaves, Rose Albano Ballestero, Susy Eto Bauman, Blanche Brown, Evy Justesen, Santi Visalli, Botso Korisheli, Ciel Bergman, Dr Edward Okun, Marion Wolff, Paul Wolff, and Evelyn Ricciuti
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Journalists
Social media handles:
Facebook: liveswelllived
Twitter: liveswelllived
Instagram: liveswelllived
Other: website: www.lives-well-lived.com
Where will the film screen in the next month?
It will be the opening film at the Gig Harbor Film Festival on October 26th