On Sat 7th March following the 15.45 screening of Still Alice, the IFI and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland will host a panel discussion to explore issues raised by the film, and broaden out to look at the value of film and the arts for both awareness raising and therapeutic purposes for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia in Ireland, 4000 of whom are under 65.

Chaired by director and producer Anna Rodgers, the panel will feature Tina Leonard, Head of Advocacy at The Alzheimer Society of Ireland; Hilary Moss, Director of the National Centre for Arts and Health; Helen Rochford Brennan from Sligo who was diagnosed three years ago with early onset Alzheimer’s;  Ronan Smith, Advocate for the Irish Dementia Working Group; and Bairbre Ann Harkin, of the Butler Gallery Kilkenny. The Butler Gallery Kilkenny is a founding member of Azure Partnership in collaboration with Age & Opportunity and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. Helen Rochford Brennan and Ronan Smith are both members of the ASI Irish Dementia Group whose aim is to be the voice for dementia, to raise public awareness of the condition.

Still Alice tells the story of Alice Howard, a linguistics professor at Columbia University and a leading expert in her field. She lives in a plush Manhattan apartment with her surgeon husband John and has three adult children. She is happy, healthy and seems to have landed comfortably in mid-life, until she begins to forget things. Adapted from Lisa Genova’s 2007 bestselling novel, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s film is a deeply affecting drama that is centred on Julianne Moore, who is quite brilliant in the lead role.

Supported by a cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth and Kristen Stewart, Moore cements her reputation as one of the finest film actors of her generation and is thoroughly deserving of the awards and acclaim her performance here has attracted.

Still Alice + Panel Discussion is at 15.45 on Sat 7th March 2015. Still Alice is on release at the IFI on Friday 6th March 2015. To book tickets call 01 679 3477 or visit www.ifi.ie.

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