Cycle of Memory: Film Screening and Q&A

See a film and then talk with the filmmaker!

Join this special intergenerational screening of Cycle of Memory, the new award-winning documentary about two siblings' bicycle adventure to find the memories their grandfather lost to Alzheimer's. 

The film is 72 minutes long and will be followed by a virtual Q+A with the filmmaker.

Families encouraged to attend together!

Presented with the generous support of the Mass Cultural Council and the Friends of the Ames Free Library.

About the film:
Mel Schwartz escaped the Great Depression on a bicycle adventure he’d remember for the rest of his life. But when Alzheimer’s takes Mel’s memories away, it’s left to his grandkids to recreate the life-changing bike trip and find those memories again. 

Guided by old photographs of the 1945 trip, they search for places aged by time. But while searching for Grandpa Mel’s past, the two are confronted with their own fraught history. If they’re going to complete the turbulent journey, they’ll have to face their own emotional potholes and tumultuous relationship.

With the help of a grandmother learning to live alone for the first time, Mel’s lifelong friend and co-adventurer on the bike trip, and a family collection spanning 1950s film reels to 1990s video tapes, Cycle of Memory explores the importance of intergenerational connection, healing painful pasts, and leaving a meaningful time capsule for the future.

“Powerful, inspiring, and moving.” - Eilon Caspi BSW MA PhD, Gerontologist & Dementia Behavior Specialist 

“Cycle of Memory is beautiful, thoughtful, real, poignant and fitting for all ages and audiences. The care, authenticity, and courage that it takes to love and stay connected to family was very inspirational.” - Lisa Peterson, Nationally Board Certified Music Therapist working with seniors with memory loss and their caregivers

“Cycle of Memory is very moving, with a real sense of family and place; there is much for reflection or discussion, suitable for an audience that wants to stick around after a viewing.” - Mark Poarch, CEO Alzheimer’s BRACE