This is the extraordinary story of a global revolution in women’s health care and Alzheimer’s Disease, and it will get you fired up!
New research shows two out of three people diagnosed are women and the disease starts to do damage in the brain as women experience menopause in their 40’s and 50’s. The conversation around dementia and its most common form Alzheimer’s, has now shifted its focus to middle aged women.
This powerful film takes you inside the lives of the brave men and women testing hot new scientific treatments around the world that might prevent or reverse this disease.
Told through the eyes of filmmaker Nia Pericles who lives in Australia – one of the many nations who can now claim ‘the number one killer of women, is dementia’. Nia is motivated to help her mother Moira and to find answers for the billions of people impacted by dementia, in particular women.
Drawing on vision from ‘Storm in a Teacup’ a film she made about her mother for ABC, we see the drastic changes in her now, at 74 living in a home with advanced Alzheimer’s. Moira’s mother (Nia’s grandmother) died of dementia at 102 years of age, and so the risks and fears are real. Nia discovers she has the APOE4 gene for Alzheimer’s and we track her attempts at prevention across the film.
We meet high profile campaigners, including menopause advocates US Actor Halle Berry and Australia Actor Naomi Watts working hard to protect their brain health and raise awareness about women’s health, plus British actor Carey Mulligan who is demanding better treatment and a stop to the discrimination of people, living with this disease. We meet actor Florence Pugh campaigning for better research to find a cure.
This incredibly moving, ground-breaking, and hugely important global story challenges the perceptions of dementia as an incurable disease as we witness young and old around the globe fight the disease that scares us the most, offering up hope and practical solutions for us all.
With over 25 years in television, Nia has established a reputation for developing and producing innovative, editorially strong, memorable stories that move people. She has produced and directed across factual and entertainment for all Australian networks. From established formats to directing authored films, her experience is diverse. From Nine’s Getaway, ABC’s Exhumed, Ten’s Bondi Rescue and films Felicity’s Mental Mission for ABC and Secret life of Death for SBS. In 2019 she united with Artemis Media to write and direct an intimate story about her family Storm in a Teacup for ABC which was shortlisted for a Walkley Award.
In 2021 she developed and co-executive produced a live TV event for SBS Australia’s Biggest Singalong! She series produced the third highest rating program across all shows for SBS in 2021 Australia’s Health Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley. She developed Mosley’s next two series for SBS along with Maggie Beer’s Big Mission for ABC. Nia created a dog rescue format