Light Years

Light Years, a documentary work-in-progress directed by award-winning filmmaker Claire Marie Panke, profiles three people living out the “third act” of their lives with grace, creativity, and a knack for reinvention.

Paul (74), who started painting at age 51; Dee (88), a writer and dancer; and Anita (94), an actress, playwright and poet, maintain a deep connection to their lifelong passions while discovering new ways to better themselves and their communities. Like its three vibrant characters, Light Years reflects the regenerative energy that comes from meaningful engagement.

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These characters reveal that our individuality and dimension do not have an expiration date. All three face losses and threats to their independence, among the physical and emotional challenges of later life, and respond with creative, resilient attitudes that transform those losses and reveal our potential to reinvent ourselves at any age.

Celebrating the chance to grow as we grow older ~ Light Years helps to bridge the gap between surviving and thriving. As we offer new images, we can change attitudes, values, and behavior, and share the film’s revelation of continued contribution, meaning, and renewal. At its core the film is not just about what we do with the time we have left, but what we do with the time we have right now.

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Claire Marie Panke is a graduate of Georgetown University and worked as a writer/editor and photographer before earning a second degree in nursing, specializing in newborn intensive care (NICU). Claire studied film at NYU, and has served as cinematographer, producer, associate producer, and nurse/consultant on film and television productions, and directed three short documentaries: Liberty Street, Christina, and Glacé. Her first feature documentary, A Chance to Grow, followed three families in a NICU, and was broadcast on The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Television, and other international venues, and was awarded a CINE Golden Eagle.

Generous support for Light Years from: The New York State Council on the Arts and Newman’s Own Foundation.

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