Matter of Mind: My Parkinson's

Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s, USA [Documentary, 55 minutes]

Directed by Laura Green & Anna-Moot-Levin

Peter Dunlap-Shohl is diagnosed with PD at the age of 43. As a political cartoonist, he contemplates his future and how he will continue to draw as his motor control declines. In his home state of Alaska, there are no Parkinson’s specialists, so he moves to Washington state for better care. He transforms his journey, with its comedic highs and somber lows, into a graphic novel. Veronica Garcia-Hayes lives in San Francisco’s Mission District. She was diagnosed with PD when she was pregnant, and 12 years later, she manages progressing symptoms while raising a teenager. She channels her energy into physical fortitude, becoming a boxing coach and an advocate for exercise, one of the most powerful methods of slowing the progression of PD. Juan Solano is a Puerto Rican optician. He owns a mom-and-pop eyeglass shop in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, but worries for the business’ survival as his PD symptoms grow more acute. In hopes of altering the disease’s progression, he pursues deep brain stimulation, a surgery in which electrodes are implanted in the brain.

Each is a tale of determination, where through ingenuity and adaptation, three people offer insight into what it means to live with degenerative illness. 

Following the screening there will be a discussion with the filmmakers, Veronica Garcia-Hayes, and Chad Zucker (Acting President) and Jane Summer (Active Member) PD Active - a local non-profit group by and for people with Parkinson’s.

This film is accessible to BFD, A-Lister, and Indie Passholders

Sunday, February 25th, 2024 @2:30PM

@The Historic Alameda Theatre & Cineplex, 2317 Central Ave, Alameda CA 94501

As always, the best way to see the festival is with a Festival PASS!