Time Out Singapore, March 2012, Section story, Page 48.

Vertical Kampong, 5 February 2012, www.verticalkampong.org.

The documentary will be screened publicly for the first time on Saturday, 24 March 7:30pm at the Moving Image Gallery, Level 2, SAM at 8Q, 8 Queen Street. Directors Jeremy Boo and Lee Xian Jie will be present for a post-screening discussion.

Tickets are now on sale (sold out!) at SISTIC ($9; $7 for Students, Senior Citizens, NSFs with 11B. Booking fees apply).

Jeremy Boo & Lee Xian Jie, 2011, Singapore, 54 minutes, Rated PG 13 (Some disturbing scenes). Watch the trailer here.

Missed the screening? Subscribe to the Hachisu Circulars to read about future screenings and news about Before We Forget.

Dementia is on the rise in Asia, placing a huge burden on a growing army of carers, who are often family members. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia, but it’s often used as an umbrella term for several conditions which cause dementia. Most of these conditions are currently incurable, and cause progressive, irreversible brain damage.

More often than not, people aren’t able to get the care they need. Mental and neurological disorders impose a huge range of costs on individuals, families, employers, and society as a whole, from the cost of care to the cost of lost productivity.

This is the story of how one family in Asia is living with dementia. It’s a tale of the best kind of love possible – a love that endures.

Reader’s Digest Asia, October 2011, Bonus Read, “Before We Forget” by Jeremy Boo with photographs by Lee Xian Jie, Pages 120-131.

my paper 《我报》, 16 September 2011, Cover story, Pages B1, B10 & B11.

Read the story online within the next 30 days on mypaper.sg (requires Adobe Flash Player).

“Before We Forget is a very well made film on a very important subject. In this materialistic, consumerist world we live in, dementia is something people should be talking more about.
”
Alex Au, Yawningbread.org

“I look forward to more sensitive Singapore-related films, from a new set of eyes!
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Juan Foo, Media Development Authority, Singapore

“Meeting Jeremy and Xian Jie was one of the highlights of my working experience, and the film continues to fill me with much encouragement.
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Dr Chris Lien, Geriatrician

Before We Forget would like to thank the Health Promotion Board for sponsoring the event, and venue sponsor The Arts House. More photographs of the preview screenings are on the Before We Forget Facebook page.

Zaobao Sunday 《早报星期天》, 4 September 2011, zbW 《早报周刊》, Cover story, Pages 1, 4 & 5.

The Straits Times, 31 August 2011, Home Section, Page 2.

This decision is made based on the strength of the stories behind the photographs and aesthetic quality. Only four participants were selected as the other entries did not meet these expectations.

All four selected participants win a half-day Photojournaliam Workshop with Bob Lee, an award-winning photojournalist.

Both winning entries were of grandmothers – Jeffrey Liam, 39, submitted a photo essay, and Ng Kai Jie, 24, submitted a portrait. Runners-up Tan Hwee Ting and Hendry Poh submitted an old family portrait and an abstract interpretation respectively.

The winning entries will be exhibited at three locations while the runners-up will be exhibited at Jurong Regional Library for the month of September. A photograph from both winners will be printed on postcards to be distributed across Singapore.

Winner | Jeffrey Liam: The Lamp
This photo of my aunt putting my grandmother to bed reminds me of the nights when grandmother used to go through 4D lottery results by the light of a kerosene lamp on her table. Read his story.

When I photographed grandma, I thought: What is she thinking? How does she feel? It gave me a sense of void, a sense of peace, a sense of being in between states where everything is incomprehensible.

Our help is Muna and she is from Indonesia. While family support is important, taking care of a person with dementia is difficult and would in our case require a full time, experienced nurse.

These old photos show grandmother’s third son, Tiam Hock. He passed away many years ago. When I found these photos in her bedroom drawer, almost all the photos were of him.

Winner | Ng Kai Jie: Remembering Grandma
Grandma was happiest during Chinese New Year. She would sometimes think that it’s that time of the year and hurry to get her red packets. She passed away in my arms on the first day this Chinese New Year. Read his story.

Runner up | Hendry Poh: Which Way Up
The human mind is so mysterious; will unravelling it take away what makes us special?

Runner up | Tan Hwee Ting: Old Family Portrait
The handsome man in the middle is my grandpa. He suffered from dementia and died when I was nine. At that age, not understanding dementia left me frustrated whenever I talked to him. I wish I knew. Read her story.

Stories, photos, videos of experiences with dementia to feature in September exhibitions at VivoCity, Jurong Regional Library and The Arts House

More than 22,000 Singaporeans have dementia. These numbers are expected to increase eightfold by 2050, but negative stereotypes and fearful myths create stigma that prevents people from learning more about dementia.

An online platform, www.beforeweforget.org, started by Jeremy Boo, 22, and Lee Xian Jie, 21, aims to foster conversations about dementia. Aside from public contributions, bloggers Gilbert Koh (Mr Wang Says So), Benjamin Lee (Mr Miyagi), and award-winning photojournalist Bob Lee have shared stories.

A selection of stories and photographs will be exhibited at VivoCity South Avenue (30 Aug – 8 Sep), Jurong Regional Library (1 – 30 Sep), and The Arts House Screening Gallery (10 – 25 Sep). The three exhibitions coincide with World Alzheimerʼs Day on 21 September.

Jeremy and Xian Jie have also been filming a year in the life of two families and their journey with dementia. The observational documentary is possibly the first featuring Asians with dementia.

“It is clear that neurological disorders will be the scourge of our generation, and dementia is going to overwhelm our society,” says Jeremy. “Many dramas and movies have portrayed people with dementia as lost or ʻblankʼ, and make the disease larger than the person suffering from it,” says Xian Jie. “We want to change this with stories from real people and an insightful documentary”.

The full-length documentary will be privately screened for members of the media and invited guests at The Arts House on 10 September.

Download the Media Release (147KB). Includes exhibition details, selected exhibits, documentary synopsis and background information.