FAMU Professor Releases Movie in Honor of National Caregivers Month
‘My Music’ Shines A Light on Caregiving Challenges and Alzheimer’s
Florida A&M University (FAMU) Journalism Professor Kenneth Jones will release his third independent movie My Music, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 5-7 at the CMX Cinemas, 147 Vermillion Boulevard, Tallahassee, and will host “Community Conversations” immediately following each showing.
The release is timed to celebrate November, which is National Caregiver’s Month.
Dubbed a ‘love note’ to caregivers and their dreams, My Music first debuted to wide audiences at the 2019 Sedona Film Festival but was temporarily shelved because of the global pandemic.
“This movie and the audience conversations that will follow each screening will open a new door of exchange and help us grow in our understanding of what caregiving means,” said Jones, who will be present at each of the three public screenings and looks forward to talking to others about the film.
Jones describes My Music as the bittersweet story of a teenage girl who is sent to care for her aging aunt who is suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.
“I was inspired to write the story because of the legacy of caregiving that I come from, and because of my personal mission to build awareness around the needs of caregivers and the challenges of caring for patients with Alzheimer’s,” professor in the FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC) and MFA graduate of the Florida State University film school.
My Music takes viewers on Ruth’s journey. The main character is played by FAMU Theater graduate Nia Jamison-Sissle, who cares for her elderly Aunt Inez who is struggling with Alzheimer’s. Aunt Inez is played by now-deceased FAMU theater graduate and storyteller Eunice Saunders.
“Caregivers are heroes,” says John Trombetta, executive director for the Alzheimer’s Project, a local non-profit that advocates for greater awareness around the disease. “Not only do they have to provide constant care for someone living with dementia, but they are also watching someone they love decline.”
Filmmaker Jones weaves many other interesting twists and turns into My Music.
“Music plays a very important role in this film,” says Jones. “I took my own love of music, and my childhood memories of playing old records that my parents had, and I used it in the movie as an escape for Ruth, the main character.”
Jones credits Quincy native Angela Lawson, sister of U.S. Congressman Al Lawson, with writing the music and lyrics for all the pulsating R&B tunes and soulful ballads that are a constant thread throughout the film.
To Go:
What: My MUSIC opens at the CMX Cinemas Tallahassee 14, immediately followed by Community Conversations led by Kenneth Jones.
Where: 147 Vermillion Boulevard, Tallahassee
When: Friday & Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday 1:30 p.m.
How: General Seating tickets are on sale now at EventBrite. (https://mymusicthemovie.eventbrite.com). Moviegoers may also purchase their tickets on site using cash or check only.
For more information about My Music, contact Kenneth Jones at JVision Pictures at 850.510.6177 or e-mail him at JVisionPictures3@gmail.com. Follow “mymusicindifilm” on Facebook. Film trailers can also be viewed on YouTube.