The film based on A Tattoo on my Brain is heading to a New York film festival

Almost two years ago, the entertainment giant Viacom, now Paramount Global, bought the film rights to my book, A Tattoo on my Brain: A Neurologist’s Personal Battle against Alzheimer’s Disease. As I have mentioned on previous posts, we have enjoyed interacting with the film crew at our house in Portland, Oregon, walking with Jack our dog in the nearby woods of Forest Park, climbing to the top of Beacon Rock along the Columbia River, visiting my neurologist Dr. Joe Quinn at Oregon Health and Science University, getting a thorough research neuroimaging exam at UCSF and UC Berkeley that included high resolution MRI, a beta-amyloid PET scan, a tau PET scan, and a long day of neuropsychological testing. Drs. Gil Rabinovici and William Jagust were instrumental in organizing the testing in the Bay area, making the sometimes-difficult filming logistics possible. I was able to watch the final version of the 32-minute film last week, and I was very pleased with how it turned out.  I had worried that it might be a doom and gloom piece about Alzheimer’s, but instead it was the hopeful film that I had really wanted to see. The producers, Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, did a fantastic job!

A few days ago, we learned that Tattoo has been accepted at DOC NYC, a large New York film festival devoted to documentary long and short films.  A total of 129 short films were accepted from the thousands that were submitted, and Tattoo joined 15 of these films on the short list, quite an honor for Kate and David as well as all the others who worked on this project. Thanks everyone for making this happen. A Tattoo on my Brain will be screened for the public at its world premiere at 11:30 am on November 11. Lois and I will be there for sure. Click here for more details.

5 Responses

  1. Anne says:

    It’s also your work. Congratulations.

  2. Tom & Laura/Tucker & Frizzell says:

    Hi Dan. Tom and I send our congrats to you and Lois for the inclusion of your documentary into the festival. Very exciting! Thanks, too, for your book–we appreciate how it is, at once, engaging, informative, and conversation-encouraging. Additionally, your blog is a welcome touchpoint for us as these days roll along. Cheers to you, and thanks again for your important work and generosity in sharing it with your readers. Best, Laura and Tom

    • Dan says:

      Thanks for the kind words Laura. Lois and I were at Catlin for grandparents day recently, and some of Tom’s work is still on the walls of the woodshop. Our son Adam, now 40, got the furniture making bug from Tom.

      Thanks for getting in touch!

  3. Leslie says:

    Thank you. You remain a positive force for me and my husband as we adjust our lives around his Alzheimer’s.

  1. November 13, 2023

    […] I mentioned last month on this site, Lois and I learned that the documentary film, A Tattoo on my Brain, was accepted at DOC NYC, a […]