My Life Films

Free life story films for people living with dementia

What does it do?

My Life Films is a dementia charity that makes free films about the lives of people with dementia. The personalised films to improve their quality of life and quality of care. Every film package we make is given to the person and their family free of charge. Our work is funded by donations, grants and community fundraising. Our mission is to make a free film package for every person with dementia in the UK. 

Who it is for?

People living with dementia
Carers and families affected by dementia 
Care workers 

Where it is available?

National service (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales).

What it costs:

This is a completely free service for people living with dementia 

How to access or apply for it:

Via the contact form on our website, via email (jo@mylifefilms.org) or phone us on 02089487560

What to expect then:

We require every person with dementia to take a Needs Assessment survey. This tells us more about the person and also prepares us for the filmmaking process.

Additional information:

The Filmmaking Process
The filmmaking takes place over 4 sessions at the person’s home. We aim to complete film package within 8 weeks of the start date.
First, we have the initial meeting with the person living with dementia (our star) and a member of their family at home. We will have a conversation about the person’s life and the chapters that the star would like to have in their film. These could include Childhood, Youth, Job, Travel, Marriage, Hobbies etc. For each chapter we need a sufficient amount of biographical material (e.g. photographs or film clips).
In the next meeting, the family bring the material for the film and have it sorted into the relevant chapters for the filmmaker to scan. At this point, music tracks will be chosen that are the star’s favourites or classics from the period of a chapter.
The filming session is planned carefully with the family and is considerate of how active the star is. The filmmaker will conduct individual interviews with the star and a limited number of family members.
Approximately 2 weeks after the filming session, the film will be ready for the premiere. You can choose how you would like to premiere the film, some people watch it in their living room with the family, others have organised a screening in their local community centre and invited all their family and friends. You will also receive copies of the films on DVD and a link and password to watch the film online. This means that the films can be watched on any digital device.
After the premiere, we will follow up with an Impact Assessment. We will contact you to go through a short questionnaire one month, three months and six months afterwards. This is vital for us to understand and monitor the impact of our films. It is an integral part of the process.

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Info last updated:

21/01/2021
Provider
2 3 Dickson House Grove Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6SP