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Old age makes remarkable video when subjects share highlights and poignant moments from their many decades.
Sky Bergman, a photography and video professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, began such a project four years ago, inspired by her 99-year-old Italian grandmother’s unrelenting zest for life. The result, “Lives Well Lived,” is being shown at 1 p.m. this Tuesday (March 3) at St. Charles Borromeo in Livermore.
“My grandmother was my guide for how to move gracefully through life and how to age with dignity, strength and humor,” said Bergman, who is also an artist, with works in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris.
Bergman began filming and interviewing her grandmother, Evelyn Ricciuti, four years ago, recording her words as well as her daily activities, which included workouts at the gym. Then she crossed the country to find other older adults, ages 75 to 100, asking them to share their wit, wisdom, energy and secrets for how to live a meaningful life.
“Lives Well Lived” includes 3,000 years of family histories, personal triumphs and tragedies in a 70-minute video that is positive as well as entertaining.
Bergman believes these stories provide the tools needed by young and old to overcome obstacles. She found that her subjects’ optimism is their overriding strength.
“Happiness is a state of mind,” one person says in the film. “You can be happy with what you have or miserable with what you don’t have. You decide.”
The screening Tuesday at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 1315 Lomitas Ave., Livermore, is free, part of its Life Transitions for Aging Adults ministry.
“We started four years ago, and it took almost a year to plan,” said Transitions organizer Molly Fisher.
They offer presentations on the first and third Tuesdays from September through May, with the goal to support the physical, emotional, social and spiritual lives of older adults.
“We started out to support the seniors just in our parish but as time went by, we saw the benefit of our program and went out into the community,” Fisher said, adding that they place fliers in the libraries and senior centers in Livermore and Pleasanton to tout their lineups.
“We want to reach families and caregivers as well, depending on the program,” Fisher said. “We do everything to come up with ideas for speakers. I have over 200 topics in my file — we will not be running out of ideas.”
Sometimes they bring in speakers, and other times the organizers present programs. Fisher, 76, a retired pediatric dentist, is going to give a presentation on pain at the gathering March 17.
“It’s important to be well educated to live your best life possible in spite of chronic pain,” she said, explaining that she has personal experience with the subject.
Fisher noted that she and the other organizers are finding their mission fulfilling.
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” she said. “We are passionate about what we are doing.”
Fisher watched “Lives Well Lived” before scheduling it and spoke to Bergman.
“The quality of the film is really good,” Fisher said. “I particularly enjoyed that they talked about their lives, and they were not all rosy.”
One Japanese American woman, now in her 90s, had been placed in an internment camp during World War II.
“Her husband enlisted in the Army, and he was killed in action,” Fisher recalled. “There were also other stories from immigrant families.”
Life Transitions for Aging Adults also organizes guidebooks of senior resources in the area. It is one of 60 ministries at St. Charles Borromeo, Fisher said, including social justice, visiting inmates in prisons as well as those who are homebound, and helping out at Open Heart Kitchen.
Fisher said her program for aging adults is important both for the information presented and for the chance for seniors to get out.
“We have name tags, and it’s a social time,” she said. “We encourage people to stay afterward and meet other people.”
“More and more people are coming,” she added. “We seem to be giving people what they need and want.”
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Photographer Sky Bergman videos Ciel Bergman for her feature, “Lives Well Lived.” (Photo courtesy of Sky Bergman) -
Botso Korisheli. (Photo by Sky Bergman) -
Emmy Cleaves. (Photo by Sky Bergman) -
Evy Justesen. (Photo by Sky Bergman) -
Santi Visalli. (Photo by Sky Bergman) -
Dr. Lou Tedone. (Photo by Sky Bergman)
