Some filmmakers are content with just trying to entertain us. Others want to change our perspective of the world.
A number of filmmaker Melissa Godoy’s projects have appeared on PBS and they all share one thing in common — they aim straight for the heart.
Her new film, “Do Not Go Gently,” examines what happens to creative people as they age.
She said the project was inspired an earlier film she made with her mother and co-producer in 1993 called “I Grow Old,” which investigated elder abuse and the dark side of aging. Melissa says in the process of making that film, she started noticing that for some people, even those ravaged by the effects of Azheimer’s disease, their creative spirit never faded.
In “Do Not Go Gently,” Melissa wanted to examine what happens to creative people who are nurtured and allowed to age that way. She says she found that many older people, but especially artists, wanted to keep working and keep creating new art.
She says she’s also discovered that the imagination is one muscle that never ages. She says it’s so important to start fostering imagination in children and continue to use it throughout a lifetime.
Melissa believes this is a topic that anyone who ever plans on aging (and isn’t that all of us?) should be interested in because it provides an exciting glimpse of what the future can hold for us.
Plus, Melissa gives us a sneak peek of her next project, which focuses on the revitalization of a Midwestern historic neighborhood.