Lives Well Lived with Sky Bergman, Documentary Filmmaker
What started with a few simple questions in her grandma's kitchen led Sky Bergman on a meaningful pursuit to capture the life history and wisdom of our older adults. This film has now become a catalyst to connect the generations.
In a world where we are often focused on youth, Lives Well Lived is a refreshing look at the life experiences of 40 older adults between the ages of 75 and 100 years old. Gathering over 3000 years of collective life history- taking their personal accounts of life and history and bringing them to life.
I knew that I wanted to share this film and story with all of you. I had tears in my eyes at some points, I laughed and had some a-ha moments. What is a Life Well Lived? What can we learn from our older adults? What is the inspiration for the film?
So many people have poured into our lives and our history- we cannot take these stories or their wisdom for granted. Sky, you are a delight. Your film is impactful. Thank you for your hard work and passion for this project. Don't miss this film, my friends.
Sky shares about:
Who inspired this beautiful film
The journey to meet and find her film interviewees
What valuable lessons we learn from the older adults who share their stories and understanding the common threads they share
What is a "life well lived"?
Some fun behind-the-scenes insight
What's next and how we can continue to connect to the older adults in our lives
"Beginning with its premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Lives Well Lived has screened in more than 200 cities. The film has won eight awards, and the theatrical run garnered enthusiastic reviews and a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Organizations like Aging 2.0, AARP’s Movies for Grownups, Encore.org, and Leading Age have screened Lives Well Lived. Now the film is available on PBS!"
“Life goes by so quickly and most young people are in such a hurry to get to the next part of their life or whatever they're doing, that they don't really take time to just enjoy what's happening right now.”
-Blanche Brown, Age 78
@LivesWellLived
Sky Bergman is an accomplished, award-winning photographer. Lives Well Lived is Sky’s directorial debut.
Her fine art work is included in permanent collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Her commercial work has appeared on book covers for Random House and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc., and magazine spreads in Smithsonian, Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, Reader’s Digest, and Archaeology Odyssey.
Sky Bergman currently is a Professor of Photography and Video at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA.
To learn more about the Lives Well Lived PBS broadcast visit:
The Lives Well Lived website is:
To share your story visit:
For resources and film discussion guide visit:
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