Premieres Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS App + Encore Thursday, April 11 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2
The second in a series of three documentaries focusing on neurodegenerative diseases, “Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s” will premiere on April 8, 2024, on INDEPENDENT LENS. From award-winning co-directors Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green (“The Providers”), the intimate documentary follows three individuals—a political cartoonist, a mother turned boxing coach, and an optician—as they navigate their lives with resourcefulness and determination in the face of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) develops when nerve cells in the brain stop making dopamine. PD strips away motor abilities, causing a wide range of symptoms, from tremors and falling to dementia and depression. “Matter of Mind: My Parkinson's” presents the poignant stories of individuals as they manage symptoms and treatments, along the way to living fulfilling lives.
Each is a tale of determination where, through ingenuity and adaptation, they offer insight into what it means to live with a degenerative illness:
Peter Dunlap-Shohl is diagnosed with PD at the age of 43. As a political cartoonist, he contemplates his future and how he will continue to draw as his motor control declines. In his home state of Alaska, there are no Parkinson’s specialists, so he moves to Washington state for better care. He transforms his journey, with its comedic highs and somber lows, into a graphic novel.
Veronica Garcia-Hayes lives in San Francisco’s Mission District. She was diagnosed with PD when she was pregnant. Twelve years later, she manages progressing symptoms while raising a preteen daughter. She channels her energy into physical fortitude, becoming a boxing coach and an advocate for exercise, one of the most powerful methods of slowing the progression of PD.
Juan Solano is a Puerto Rican optician. He owns a mom-and-pop eyeglass shop in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, but worries for the business’ survival as his PD symptoms grow more acute. In hopes of altering the disease’s progression, he pursues deep brain stimulation, a surgery in which electrodes are implanted in the brain.
Filmmaker Quotes:
“People think of Parkinson’s disease as an ‘old person’s’ disease, but it can affect people in the prime of their lives,” said director/producer Anna Moot- Levin. “We have been fortunate enough to be welcomed into these people’s lives so that we can, hopefully, spur education and understanding by sharing their stories with the world.” Added Laura Green, director/producer: “Our partnership with ITVS and INDEPENDENT LENS has provided us with the opportunity to give voice to those impacted by the disease, as well as the the ability to really go in-depth, not just for this film but for the entire ‘Matter of Mind’ series.”
The first installment of the documentary series from Moot-Levin and Green focusing on neurodegenerative disease, “Matter of Mind: My ALS,” aired in 2023 on INDEPENDENT LENS and is currently available to stream on the PBS App with KPBS Passport.
The upcoming, third installment will be “Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s.” The documentary received funding via ITVS’ Series and Special Projects Initiative.
Watch On Your Schedule: “Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s” will debut on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS on Monday, April 8, 2024. The film will be available to stream on the PBS App.
Credits: Anna Moot-Levin, Director/Producer. Laura Green, Director/Producer. David Alvarado, Producer. Jason Sussberg, Writer/Producer.
“Parkinson’s disease and others like it are often misunderstood, and that is why documentaries like ‘Matter of Mind’ are so incredibly important in humanizing its impact,” said Lois Vossen, executive producer. “Films like this are crucial and we’re proud to be bringing it to audiences through INDEPENDENT LENS.”
