Award Winning STILL DREAMING Documentary to Premiere on PBS

Stretching physical, emotional and mental limits, a group of elderly Broadway actors, musicians and dancers bravely dive into a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and find that nothing is what it seems to be. These former Broadway stars, who reside at the Lillian Booth Actors Home just outside New York City, embark on a journey through the magical play at the urging of the Home's administrators. The staff of the Home sees this as an opportunity to boost quality of life for the residents. The residents are not so sure.

As the rehearsal process unfolds, the actors find themselves experiencing both the pain and exhilaration of re-immersion in their life's work amidst the vagaries of old age. At the same time, the troupe's young co-directors, Ben Steinfeld and Noah Brody of NYC's celebrated Fiasco Theater, struggle to maintain forward momentum with this over-80 acting ensemble. Alzheimer's, Dementia, and even minor issues such as sight and hearing loss create constant crises and obstacles for all involved. As the troupe pushes forward, the play's themes of perception, reality vs. dreaming, and memory become relevant in sharp relief. Ultimately the performance of the play turns out to be surprising, mysterious and resonant, and a vital reminder of the value of engaging in our dreams no matter the circumstance.

THE FILMMAKING TEAM

Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller have been making films together since they met at Dartmouth College in 1985. Their passion is documentary filmmaking with compelling characters and strong storylines. They translate this documentary spirit into all that they do, including multi-media, fiction and commercial projects. Their company, PHILOMATH FILMS, offers up projects that stretch the mind, entertain the spirit and reach straight for the heart.

STILL DREAMING is Hank and Jilann's latest film. Their previous documentary feature, SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS, gave us an unflinching gaze into the dark areas of the human psyche, showing us that there is always the possibility of change. Philomath Films productions have won dozens of awards including Audience Award at AFI Fest, Best of Show at BendFilm, and many Best Documentary Awards. Their work has premiered at festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, and Edinburgh, and has been broadcast around the world on outlets including BBC, Al Jazeera, Canal +, Sundance Channel and PBS. They are three-time recipients of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding and two-time recipients of Sundance Institute funding. Jilann and Hank are also the co-founders of DocuMentors, a full-service website and mentoring service for documentary filmmakers needing resources, information and support.

Hank is a Producer, Director, Writer, Actor and Educator who works both in documentary and fiction film. Hank directed SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS, which picked up 11 awards on the festival circuit, was broadcast worldwide and had a theatrical run of over 25 U.S. cities. Hank also co-produced, directed and edited HOMELAND, an award-winning documentary about four families on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, as well as CIRCLE OF STORIES, a cutting edge multi-media project that brings to life the vibrant art of Native American storytelling at pbs.org. Hank has freelanced as a writer, director and producer within the film industry, and has twice been a Sundance Institute Fellow. His freelance work includes producing, directing and writing 2 seasons of MEDICAL DIARY for the Discovery Health Channel. He currently teaches filmmaking at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, and has also taught film production at University of Southern California. As an actor, Hank has performed in film, television, theater and improv. You can see him most recently on BREAKING BAD, LONGMIRE and MANHATTAN. Upcoming films include SICARIO with Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, and KEPLER'S DREAM with Holland Taylor and Steven Michael Quezada.

Jilann is a Documentary Producer, Director, Editor, Cinematographer and Educator whose award-winning work has been shown around the globe. She won a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for her work in the POV PBS documentary, CRITICAL CONDITION, which she co-produced and co-directed. She produced the award-winning SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS and co-directed, produced and edited HOMELAND which aired on National PBS. Jilann has freelanced extensively in the documentary field, directing, writing and shooting two seasons of the documentary series MEDICAL DIARY and producing, writing and directing for the NBC documentary series LIFE MOMENTS. Other credits include A&E, Bravo and VH1. Her work for the Indigo Girls is included in WATERSHED, a one-hour biographical video released by Sony Music.

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