A Documentary about Dementia

Hi my name is Elizabeth McLeish and I am the director of 'Kell's Ride For a Cure' an independent, feature-length documentary about dementia. Filming commenced on the 21st of October 2017 and will continue through into 2018. The film will look at what actions are being taken to find a cure for the number two killer here in Australia. The purpose of this documentary is to educate audiences about dementia, put a spotlight on the disease and to progress us towards finding a cure.

On April 17th 2018 we had the honour of interviewing Ita Buttrose AO, OBE in Sydney for the feature documentary. 

Greg Kelly , a prominent subject matter for this documentary suffers from younger onset dementia, in particular frontotemporal dementia. On the 12th of August 2017 Kell, as he's more commonly known, embarked on the trip of a lifetime on his Harley Davidson. He rode the length and breadth of Australia to put a spotlight on this disease and raise funds to go towards medical research. In September 2018 Kell will leave for New Zealand to continue this great journey. I am following Kell on his trip around New Zealand documenting his journey as he visits research centres, speaks with the media, politicians and local communities. This will be a major part of the documentary.

A production still of Greg Kelly from short length documentary 'Kell's Ride.'


Very recently the University of Melbourne opened a dementia research centre to facilitate MRI and PET scan machines necessary for the early stages of dementia diagnosis. After speaking with Professor Ashley Bush, the director of the centre about the documentary he has agreed to and is very excited in allowing me to visit the centre and interview himself and other specialists for the documentary.

So why do I need your help?
In order for me to go forward with this documentary, I need to travel nationally and internationally. Therefore I require funding for airfares and also travel insurance for my camera gear. 

Other funding needs:
- Travel expenses (airfares, accommodation, travel insurance, food)
- Necessary gear (a professional audio set up, extra batteries for long days of shooting in NZ, professional lighting set up, a drone to capture the beautiful scenery in New Zealand and other gear accessories)
- Post-production music
- Hiring a professional graphic designer (poster artwork, advertising)
- Film festival entry costs
- Reimbursement for lost income whilst travelling, filming and editing the documentary

During September - August 2017 I worked with Kell to create a short length documentary . It introduced Kell and his story and captured him leaving for the Australian chapter of 'Kell's Ride For the Future,' the name of Kell's journey around the three nations (Australia, New Zealand and the USA.) This film has gone on to win three awards so far at film festivals. With the film's success and my passion for this subject matter I decided to go forth with 'Kell's Ride For a Cure.' Any donations people make would be greatly appreciated, I feel it is a very worthy cause. Your donation will not only help me but it'll help Kell, the cause, and the progress towards finding a cure for a disease that could affect any one of us. 

Photos from Screen It Film Festival 2017 where 'Kell's Ride' the short length documentary won Audience Choice Award for Best Mental Health Film
[Left: Director of Photography Leroy Button and Director Elizabeth McLeish. 
Top right: Trophy
Bottom right: 'Kell's Ride' poster]


I hope reading this has inspired you to donate to a worthy cause. You may also wish to donate to Greg Kelly's Go Fund Me .

Any donations that remain after I've completed 'Kell's Ride For a Cure' will be donated to the Australian Fronto-Temporal Dementia association (AFTDA)
 

To keep up to date with the progress of the documentary you can follow our dedicated Facebook page


Elizabeth McLeish - Director 




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