Well, it's now official:

Andrew Jenks, Room 335 Premiers on January 15th at 7PM on Cinemax!

Please stay posted for much more information!

There are so many reasons that we made this movie. There are many times in life when you don't know why you're really doing something, only afterwards realizing all of the reasons that it made sense. In the next month I hope we can have a two way discussion about the film, the elderly in America, and how we can make positive change for the future. Please keep posting messages/responses to these blog entries.

Up until the premiere date I am going to post the latest news on the film, where you can find us promoting it, etc. Don't forget to check out old posts about what's been going on!

Here is some background/statistics on the actual topic of aging in America. Soon, we will get to the parts that really matter in our movie: the characters that changed our lives.

Some basic info:

Today, there are 35 million senior citizens living in America. In about twenty-five years, that number will more than double, to about 71 million. Surprisingly, nobody seems to realize that our country will have to do something with all of these people. Ancient civilizations treated their elderly as kings and pearls of wisdom. Eastern cultures follow a similar pattern: Japan has their own ‘Old Folks Day’.

But not us.

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and even so-called elderly resorts are everywhere. ‘McAging Homes’ have amassed across the country to become a multi-billion dollar industry. As the baby boomer generation now reaches their golden years, this trend will only grow.

Sometimes statistics and growing problems are treated like an economics test: we evaluate the dilemma and properly allocate the necessary solutions. However, what happens when we personalize this issue? After all, we are talking about our parents, our grandparents, our friends, and eventually, ourselves. We are talking about a generation that made us, and the world we live in, possible.

It's no secret that we're all getting older. The inevitability of aging looms over us every time we admire youth, worry for an elderly relative, or even look in the mirror. However, we know very little about the thoughts and minds of the older population of our nation. Sure, we've heard about their great achievements historically, their healthcare wars, and their politics, but how often do we look deeper into their individual lens? How often do we ask questions about their inner most thoughts: the things that make them tick? Not so long ago the senior citizens were asked all kinds of questions; they were the voice that led new generations into the future. It seems we've learned to feel bad for the elderly; as if life is over for them, and they've entered into a period of demoralizing waiting. Should we feel bad? Are they numb? What triggers their nostalgia? What do they have to offer younger generations? And, how do they feel about life after life?