Determined

Determined

Fighting Alzheimer’s

a battle for the brain that begins with the heart

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“But what lifts Determined above the level of most science documentaries is the storytelling. THE INTIMACY IS POWERFUL, as if the families have invited us into their homes.”
– Catherine Caparello,
Isthmus

The Determined Story

Three women at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease offer their brains and bodies to a medical study. After losing their mothers to the disease, these daughters are determined to contribute to the search for a cure. Meanwhile, they anxiously watch for signs of the disease in their own brains.

This independent documentary, filmed over five years, intimately shows what happens when human test subjects – who are at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease – offer their blood, brains, and hearts to conquer it.

Since Dr. Mark Sager took the initiative in 2001, medical research scientists at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute have been on a mission – to figure out how to prevent, and eventually cure, Alzheimer’s disease.

Their method is to track the characteristics and habits of people at high risk for the disease, and to observe them in biological detail as they age. Some convert to Alzheimer’s disease and some do not. Why?

After humble beginnings, the study—the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) —is now recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a high-priority research site.

At the heart of the Alzheimer’s study are the test group participants – middle-aged adults with a deceased or living parent with Alzheimer’s disease. Parental history makes the test group 2.5x more likely to get the disease than those without a history of it in their families.

The human research subjects are followed by the scientists for a minimum of 15 to 20 years and undergo periodic and rigorous cognitive tests.

The test group also shares one of life’s most difficult trials – a parent’s decline from Alzheimer’s disease.

This is a story about the fight to stop Alzheimer’s disease as told by the people with the most on the line.

Determined: Fighting Alzheimer’s is available here:

The Characters

Barb, Karen and Sigrid also return every two to three years to undergo the signature experience – a multidisciplinary oral cognitive test. This battery of questions looks for problems with their memory that signal their worst fear—the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

By combining clinical, brain imaging, biomarker information and physical fitness data, scientists are in pursuit of both the causes of the disease and what lifestyle practices may help delay the onset. It’s a race against time, but thus far, Alzheimer’s has been the victor.

As the researchers compile data from 1,500 participants over the first period of the study, a narrative begins to emerge.

How soon will an answer be found?

Can it be found in time?

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Film News
DETERMINED on GBH
March 31, 2022

Daphne Northrop of GBH in Boston writes about Determined: Fighting Alzheimer’s upcoming premiere on NOVA: https://www.wgbh.org/foundation/nova-film-captures-hopes-fears-about-alzheimers

Read More »
More Film News

Filmmakers

Therese Barry-Tanner

PRODUCER/SOUND

Therese Barry-Tanner has been a participant in the WRAP study for more than fifteen years. Therese understands Alzheimer’s disease at an intimate level. She assisted her father in caring for her mother with the disease. Later she advocated for her mother fiercely at a nursing home —her mother was unable to speak for herself. Therese lost her mother to Alzheimer’s disease in November of 2008. DETERMINED began as Therese’s idea in 2011. Therese hopes that DETERMINED will bring the audience through the emotional journey and difficult decisions that are made when a loved one lives with or dies from Alzheimer’s disease. She also hopes the film will share the experience of being a human research subject, and that it will offer an inside look at the people who are working to find a cure. Prior to producing, Therese worked in healthcare, with over 30 years in program and project management, most recently specializing in healthcare reform and physician quality assurance at a Fortune 500 company.
Melissa Godoy

Melissa Godoy

DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR Godoy was Line Producer for the Oscar-winning documentary feature, American Factory by Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert (Netflix) and its prequel, The Last Truck (HBO). She was also Line Producer for Bognar and Reichert’s 9to5: The Story of a Movement and their Emmy Award-winning documentary, A Lion in the House (both on Independent Lens & Netflix). She was the Cincinnati cinematographer for Election Day by Katy Chevigny (POV); a cinematographer for the short docs Making Morning Star and Sparkle (Lifecasters/PBS) both by Bognar & Reichert; and a shooter for Andrea Torrice’s Trees in Trouble (PBS World Channel). Her documentary about creative aging, Do Not Go Gently, co-produced with Eileen Littig, was available to PBS stations for 12 years through American Public Television.

Eileen Littig

PRODUCER Eileen Littig is an independent producer and former Director of NE Wisconsin In-School Telecommunications. With Wisconsin Public Television, she produced social issues programming and has been recognized with two Midwest Emmys – both for stories about teenage girls: Beyond the Butterfly and The Discovery of Dawn. She produced numerous creative and important programs for youth, including Sexual Orientation: Between the Labels. which earned a Gold Medal from the CPB. Littig was Co-Producer for the documentary Do Not Go Gently, narrated by Walter Cronkite. The film received a Gold World Medal in Humanities from the New York Film and Video Festivals and a National Media Award from the American Society on Aging. Littig serves on the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and is a community activist.

Shawndra Jones

SOUND RECORDIST/KEY GRIP Jones was most recently a sound recordist for Dave Chapelle: Live in Real Life directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, which debuted at Radio City Music Hall at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021. She was also on the sound team for Contemporary Color, a visual and audio extravaganza by the Ross Brothers which premiered at Tribeca in 2016. Jones was the Cincinnati sound engineer for The New Black by Yoruba Richen (Independent Lens/PBS), and she contributed to the 2020 Oscar-winning feature documentary, American Factory. Another recent project was sound recording and mixing for Small Business Shorts: Real Estate, Real Impact, a Veena Rao short film commissioned by Vimeo. She is proud of her work on the complicated sound design of the ongoing anthology documentary Sound Spring by Catalina Alvarez. Jones is a graduate of Wright State University’s Motion Picture Program and is a news broadcast director at WBDT and WDTN-TV in Dayton. She flexes her artistic muscles as a singer and burlesque performer as well!

Brendon Anderegg

COMPOSER/SOUND DESIGNER Anderegg is a composer and sound designer who has worked on film and television projects with producers and directors including Laura Poitras, Jose Vargas, Seth Skundrick, Stephen Maing, Susan Werbe, and Miao Wang. Highlights include: 102 Minutes That Changed America – Siskel Jacobs Productions documentary about the events of 9/11, winner of four Primetime Emmy awards and the most watched special ever on the History Channel; The Price of Gold – Nanette Burstein’s ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan; and Crime + Punishment by Stephen Maing.

Amy Kruep

SOUND/GRIP Amy Kruep, RNC, DCP has worked with the older adults for more than 30 years, particularly those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. She was a nurse manager for Residential Care at Mercy Health West Park, a continuum care facility in Cincinnati, where she created the DaySTAE (Success Through Arts & Environment) dementia program. Kruep serves on the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Cincinnati Public Policy Committee, and she is a regional trainer for the national TimeSlips™ creative storytelling program. Kruep produced two short fiction films in collaboration with participants in her DaySTAE program: Runaway Train (2010) and with support from the Ohio Arts Council, Until Sadie Blotz (2012). Created by writers and actors with dementia, Sadie screened at the Positive Aging Conference in Los Angeles and the American Society on Aging Conference in Chicago. Amy cared for her father through his last days with Alzheimer’s disease.

Jo Hillman

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Jo became a WRAP human test subject in 2002, while caring for her mother during advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease. She is also active in the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Project, working to accelerate health research and medical breakthroughs and enabling individualized prevention, treatment, and care. Jo actively incorporates scientific findings into nutrition, exercise, and sleep protocols in an effort to mitigate the potential onset of age-induced decline. She is a certified trainer for A Time to Heal, a cancer survivorship program having facilitated group sessions since 2014. She is also an ImaginAging facilitator for the AgingUp Network. Previously, Jo had a long career in higher education as a teacher, senior level manager and consultant for national and international colleges and universities.
Karen Durgans

Karen Y. Durgans

Impact ADVISOR Karen was Associate Producer and Outreach Coordinator for Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s A Lion in the House, an Emmy Award-winning documentary and national outreach project (Independent Lens/PBS). Durgans was a field researcher for the U.S. Financial Diaries Project, a partnership between NYU Wagner’s Financial Access Initiative and the Center for Financial Services Innovation. She provided research and production support for “American International Health Alliance: Partners in Health,” Season 10 of the award-winning PBS series The Visionaries profiling international sister-city partnerships in Armavir, Armenia and Galveston, Texas. Karen cared for both her stepfather and mother during her family’s journey with dementia. She works as a therapist in private practice with Compass Point Counseling Services.
Jean Wentz

Jean Wentz

Production Assistant Jean worked as an archives assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay library for 20 years before making a career change. In addition to working on this film, she was recently a caregiver for the elderly and those with disabilities, including Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Jean was also the administrative assistant for the Green Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Chair of the Sunday Services committee. She is a certified mandala facilitator in the tradition of Dr. Rajita Sivananda (Judith Cornell), which involved 108 hours of leading workshops. Currently she works as a freelance professional resume writer and transcriptionist.

Partners

Center for Independent Documentary

The Center for Independent Documentary (CID) collaborates with independent filmmakers to create documentaries on issues of contemporary social and cultural concern. CID is the fiscal sponsor of DETERMINED and manages the project funds through their 501(c)(3). They bring expertise in fundraising, production, and distribution. Recent CID projects include the Netflix-Higher Ground Productions acquisition Crip Camp by Jim LeBrecht & Nicole Newnham, Dawnland by Adam Mazo & Ben Pender-Cudlip, Nancy Kates’ Regarding Susan Sontag (HBO), and Cheryl Furjanic’s Back on Board: Greg Louganis. Founded in 1981, CID’s programs have screened at major festivals, aired nationally and locally on public and cable television, and earned numerous awards.

Alzheimer’s Association
GREATER WISCONSIN CHAPTER

The Greater Wisconsin Chapter aided in securing initial funding for DETERMINED, which was instrumental to making the project a reality. It is one of over 70 Alzheimer’s Association chapters across the United States and shares the organization’s mission: “To eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.”

Major funding for this film was provided by:

  • Bader Philanthropies, Inc.
  • Recall Foundation
  • Greater Green Bay Community Foundation
  • Scott and Nancy Armbrust
  • Craig & Karen Dickman Family Foundation Fund
  • Lisa Lotte Gammeltoft Fund
  • Tom and Mary Hedge Fund
  • Johnson Juengst Fund
  • Konop Family Foundation Fund
  • Irene Daniell Kress Fund
  • Virginia Kress
  • Karen & James Lacey Fund
  • Herber and Diane Liebman
  • David and Susan Pamperin Family Fund
  • Paul, Barry, and Tanner Family Fund
  • Remley Family Fund
  • Kramer and Carolyn Rock Fund
  • Benjamin Weyers Charitable Gift Fund
  • Alexis Weyers
  • Tod and Carolyn Zacharias
  • Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation
  • Irene D. Kress
  • Norbertines of St. Norbert Abbey
  • Weyers Family Foundation
  • Philip J. Hendrickson
  • Marianne Van Drisse
  • Foley Family Foundation
  • Forget Me Not Fund, Inc.
  • Arthur & Hilde Erickson Family LLLP
  • Patricia A. Schneider
  • Chad & Karen Lange
  • Bernard & Carole Rabinowitz Philanthropic Fund – The Jewish Foundation of Greater Dayton
  • Wochinske Family Foundation Inc.
  • Endres Manufacturing Foundation
  • Lou Holland Jr.
  • Alice & Fred Wall Family Foundation
  • John and Engrid Meng, Inc.
  • K.C. Stock Foundation, Inc.
  • Sharon Resch
  • Laura Morrison
  • The Family of Jerry & Helen Paul
  • Green Bay Packers Foundation
  • Bradford Smith
  • Oneida Nation
  • The Cottages Assisted Living and Memory Care
  • American Foods Group Inc.
  • Jim & Cindy Hoyt
  • Windsor Tanner
  • Carol DeGroot
  • Daniel & Nancy Gulling
  • Fran Chapman Frigo
  • John & Gisela Brogan
  • Charles & Patricia Tanner
  • Miriam Erickson
  • Judy Taylor
  • Peterson Kubek Legacy Trust
  • Dave & Greta Landis
  • The Chernick Family Foundation
  • Noel Julnes-Dehner
  • Peter Hickey
  • Katy Jacklin
  • Brad & Beth Agin Charitable Trust
  • Leander & Helen Schwartz
  • Long Family Trust Agency
  • Dennis & Lavon Rader – Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
  • Dr. Donald & Jennifer Sipes
  • Judy Nagel
  • Court & Patricia Larkin
  • Kenneth Strmiska
  • Margaret Rawlings
  • Wayne & Ginger Micksch
  • Nancy Watts
  • John & Judy Crain
  • Melanie Maczka
  • Saied & Miriam Assef
  • Sidney Bremer & Jerrold Rodesch
  • Janice Galt
  • Patti King
  • Jeanne Lucier
  • Jeffrey Ottum
  • Liesa VanCamp
  • William Hinkfuss
  • Paula & Kenneth Fleurant
  • Diann Malueg
  • Doris Zeisemer
  • Lindi Kuritz
  • Philip Hauck
  • Jo Hillman
  • Julie Ann Arneth
  • Robert Cowles
  • Alison Frazier
  • Beverly French
  • Brigid Horne-Nestor
  • Judith Johnson
  • Joseph & Marcia Kellner
  • Lisa Lotte Gammeltoft
  • Carol & Nicholas Pollis
  • James & Deborah Scray
  • The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
  • Edith Wolf
  • Michelle VanNess
  • Jean Urry
  • Pam Fischer
  • Karen Prevetti Kersten
  • Mary Barker
  • John Birder
  • Brenda Bonn
  • Tim & Kathy Hinkfuss
  • Cindy Howard
  • Kathleen Lockard
  • Deb MacRae
  • Julie Marten
  • Roger & Sandra Melroy
  • Susan McFadden
  • Pat Miller
  • Linda Nelson
  • Linda Polacek
  • Sara Ramaker
  • Bridget Sheridan
  • Anneliese Waggoner
  • Richard Walters
  • Angie Wyse Reeser
  • Lorna Murphy
  • James & Maureen Lunney
  • Vashti Lozier
  • Diane & Terrance Auger
  • Ashley Bethke
  • Gerald Keiler
  • Margaret Krings
  • Ann Kulka
  • Renee & Kevin Perock
  • Norm & Wendy Schroeder
  • Geri Wilkinson
  • Barb Bolduan
  • Lisa Ubbelohlde
  • Roxanne Moermond

PRODUCTION TEAM   

PRODUCED BY
Therese Barry-Tanner
Eileen Littig

DIRECTOR | CINEMATOGRAPHER | EDITOR
Melissa Godoy

SCORE & SOUND DESIGN
Brendon Anderegg 

LOCATION SOUND
Shawndra Jones 
Therese Barry-Tanner
Amy Kruep
Lee Frank 

CONSULTING PRODUCERS
Maggie Bowman
Julia Reichert

 CONSULTING EDITORS
Jim Klein
Jaime Meyers Schlenck
Gordon Quinn

DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING EDITOR
Karen Everett 

VOICEOVER
Jeannette Robinson

ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Jo Hillman
David Littig
Windsor Tanner 

ADDITIONAL CAMERA & LIGHTING
Shawndra Jones 

LIGHTING GAFFER
Fred Wessel 

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Jean Wentz
Steven Benton
Kaitlyn Brimblecom
José Cabrera-Thurman
Shannon Frederickson
Andrea Rojas 

POST PRODUCTION FACILITY
Goldcrest Post NY 

COLORIST
Ken Sirulnick 

DI ASSIST
Jordan Thompson De-Son 

ADDITIONAL COLORIST
David Klingerman 

DIGITAL COMPOSITOR
Thanos Fatouros 

MOTION GRAPHICS EDITOR
Marc Governanti

PHOTO EDITOR
Paula Kinsel 

ADDITIONAL SOUND EDITING
Austin Gorrigan 

ANIMATION
Pixeldust Studios 

CAMERA EQUIPMENT
The Camera Department, Cincinnati
North American Camera, Milwaukee
Cinequipt, Minneapolis
MP&E, Denver

ARCHIVAL MATERIAL
CBS News Archives
National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health
Pond5
Veritone

 

Very Special Thanks
Jerry and Helen Paul, who inspired the film  
Daniels Family
Knuti Family
McElwee-Lloyd Family
Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, UW Health University Hospital-Madison, & Waisman Center Staff
Community Advisory Board
Amazing Grace Chorus ® 

Special Thanks
Aging and Disability Resource Center of Brown County
Alzheimer’s Association
Alzheimer’s Speaks
American Association of University Women, Green Bay
Brown Deer Lanes
Capital Fitness
Clinical Research Unit, UW Hospital Nursing Staff
Homestead Meadows
International Neuropsychological Society
KTQ Labs: Feedback Screenings Program
Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease
League of Women Voters, Green Bay
Nova High School, Milwaukee
Roseville, MN Alzheimer’s Dementia Community Action Team
Spooner Funeral Home
UW Health University Hospital-Madison
Waisman Center University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute 

Janet Allgaier
Saied & Miriam Assef
Annemarie Barnett
Colleen Barry
Patrick Barry
Chris Beales
Steven Bognar
Abby Brewer
Patricia Bridges
Sara Barsel
Kaitlyn Beiser
Noll Campbell
Jim Carrier
Rekha Chaudhary
Gordon Chelune
Devon Christianson
Mal Connett
Claudia Ruiz DeCoursey
Karen Durgans
Tyler Ditter
Bob Donnelly
Shari Fairman
Keith Fargo
Russ & Patricia Faust
Kristen Felten
Camille French
Andrea Garr
Gail Garrity-Reed
Ismael Godoy
Nikko Godoy
Phil & Kitty Hauck
Lou Holland Jr.
Brigid Home Nestor & Terry Nestor
Daniel Howles
Ian Kremer
Kim Kinner
Paula Kollstedt
Lori La Bey
Karen Lange
Sarah Lewis
Rachel Lyon
Jerry Mallicoat
Chantal Marcks
John and Susan McFadden
Jennifer Miller
Charles Monroe-Kane
Chris & Susan Murphy
Marje Murray
Steve Nagy
Marcus Nelson
Deb Nygaard
James Osborne
Amber Paluch
Lisa Paul
Kari Paterson
Adam Pleiman
Helen Ramon
Chris Robinson
Giles Roblyer
Jan Rofekamp
Sara Ramaker
Norma Rohlfing
Susan Routh
Janet Rowley
Peggy Rynearson
Annette Sandler
Ali Schreiber
Leslie Simmer
Mira Simon
Timothy Swallow
Lisa Tanner
Brandon Taylor
Kristine Thompson
Jane Tucker
Eric VanVlymen
Anneliese Waggoner
Susan Walsh
Laura & Ben Weiland
Coleen Weyers
Tracy Weyers
Chase Whiteside
Ben Yee
Michele & Greg Young

Broadcast and Website Credits | NOVA | PBS
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/credits/

 Take Action

Don’t feel powerless against Alzheimer’s disease — join a clinical trial!

It’s easy to find a trial near you, or one where you can participate online, with minimal time commitment.
Just click on the link and enter your ZIP code to get started.

Find Clinical Trials at alzheimers.gov

Contact

For questions or media inquiries, please email us at will.i.b.next@gmail.com.

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