How long will we live? Is aging a disease? Do we want to reach 150 years old? These are just a few of the big questions at the center of David Donnelly’s captivating, future-fueled documentary. Scientists, philosophers, and artists weigh in on how technology and science are changing how we age, and the effect of those advances on our lives. The film glides between describing cutting-edge therapies and technologies that include smart drugs, human growth hormone, and genetic fixes, and examining the practical and political considerations of extended longevity. All options are on the table: Can robots, red wine, and/or relationships increase our life spans, and generate a more meaningful existence? Captivating, educational, and occasionally unsettling, Forever Young asks big questions about the biology, ethics, and impact of extending human existence into the “fourth act” of life. —Brendan Peterson
David Donnelly
David Donnelly is an American filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. He is the director of Maestro(2015), Forte, Nordic Pulse, and The Cost of Convenience. Forever Young is Donnelly’s fifth feature film. Donnelly’s work as a filmmaker has appeared on dozens of networks and in some of America’s most cherished cultural institutions, including the Whitney Museum, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Curtis Institute of Music, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and various embassies and concert halls across the globe, including the National Arts Center (Ottawa), Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, the Beijing Music Festival, and the Arvo Pärt Centre.