Last night I had the good fortune to attend a screening of the remarkable documentary Alive Inside by filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett.  The screening was hosted at the Belcourt Theatre by the Nashville Chapter of The Recording Academy and City Drive Films.  Directly following the film was a lively panel discussion including the filmmaker himself that fielded questions and enthusiastic comments from members of the audience representing a variety of Music City interests ranging from music industry to healthcare.

A moving testament to the power and importance of music in the lives of human beings, Alive Inside is the story of social worker Dan Cohen’s work bringing music to patients in American nursing homes, and the dynamic – at times astounding and tear-jerking – effects this work has had towards awakening patients with dementia to the world around them, and to their loved ones.  The film won the Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

(more…)