23. Seniors Making a Horror Movie: How Filmmaker Sean Cisterna Turned Rejection Into a Global Movement Against Isolation

Episode Description:

What happens when a filmmaker gets rejected from every grant—then discovers a senior citizens fund and pitches the wildest idea imaginable? Award-winning Canadian filmmaker Sean Cisterna shares the inspiring story behind Silver Screamers, his 2025 documentary about a spirited group of seniors who came together to make a horror film called The Rug.

The Origin Story:

• How a flyer about the New Horizons for Seniors Program sparked an unconventional solution to funding rejection
• Why nobody raised their hand when he mentioned "blood and gore"—until 96-year-old Audrey changed everything
• The serendipitous moments that transformed a short film project into an award-winning documentary

Behind the Scenes:

• What happened at the first script reading (hint: larger fonts were urgently needed!)
• How a puppeteer, a painter, and a social butterfly brought their real-life skills to create movie magic
• Why the insurance company said "no" and how that led to beautiful intergenerational partnerships
• Fire alarms, smoke machines, and other chaotic moments that make great cinema

The Bigger Impact:

• How participants went from "I didn't know I had this in me" to walking red carpets and signing autographs
• Why horror audiences and aging research centers are equally enthusiastic
• Post-screening conversations where people share stories about their grandparents and confront fears about aging
• Sean's upcoming international workshops teaching seniors to make films in Mumbai, Brussels, and beyond

Key Themes: Community building and reducing social isolation • Trying something new at any age • Permission vs. direction: letting authenticity shine • Using humour and levity to inspire • Intergenerational collaboration

Perfect for: Family caregivers, recreation therapists, activity directors, digital storytellers, anyone interested in creative aging, and anyone who believes it's never too late to surprise yourself.

Connect with Sean Cisterna:

• Instagram & Facebook: @SilverscreamersDoc
• Instagram: @SeanCisterna
• Silver Screamers is screening throughout 2026—reach out to book a screening!

Watch the Silver Screamers Official Trailer

Mentioned: New Horizons for Seniors Program • CAG Conference • Toronto After Dark Festival • Fantastic Fest • Hot Docs Cinema

Thank you for listening!

Do you have a question or a topic related to "capturing essence for care" that you would like discussed on the podcast?  

Email:  awestruckaspirations@gmail.com

Or use the "Send us Fan Mail" link at the top of the Episode Description to text the show!

Interested in learning more?  

• Check out my Etsy Shop
• Visit my YouTube channel or website

Intro and outro music with thanks:  Upbeat and Sweet No Strings by Musictown 

Lisa brings over 25 years of experience working in healthcare settings with older adults. The perspectives shared on this podcast are her own and do not represent the views of any past or current employer. Patient/resident stories are shared only with explicit permission or as anonymized composites for educational purposes.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

Lisa 0:04

Welcome to Capturing Essence for Care, where we discuss the importance of incorporating personal life stories into healthcare and share ideas to help you on your journey. I'm your host, Lisa Joworski. Welcome everyone to Capturing Essence for Care. Today is a really, I always say exciting day, but I really feel like I mean it. I told Sean before we press record that I have been smiling nonstop today. And it's because of looking over the trailers that he's created and uh listening to the trailer that is the reason why he's joining us on this podcast. So who I'm talking about is Sean Cisterna. He's an award-winning filmmaker whose latest project, Silver Screamers, which is from 2025, is a heartwarming feature documentary about a spirited group of senior citizens who unite to make a horror movie. Sean, I just I love this idea so much. You and I have talked previously. I'm just thrilled to have this conversation because there's so much I want to pick apart and learn more from. And I think it really, it really resonates and aligns with the whole capturing essence piece. Uh and we we could talk about the for care part after, but first, just thank you for joining.

Sean 1:28

Thank you, Lisa. Thanks for the invitation. And I was very excited to chat with you all day as well. I'm glad uh, you know, knowing that there are other people who you know care about our older adults in in our communities, it's uh what a what a perfect podcast to have this conversation on.

Lisa 1:43

Yeah, it is perfect from what I've learned. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure how many podcasts or conversations you've had besides your screenings that have been through this type of platform for the senior population specifically. Would that be accurate? Has it been more related to the film industry or am I wrong?

Sean 2:08

Yeah, no, you're totally right. I've like I've I think I told you last time, I've spent my life insulated in the in the film world. And and uh so when what you know, when you make a film that goes outside that reaches a broader audience, you your whole Rolodex kind of expands and meeting people like you, and um, you know, I've been connected to all the uh the aging research centers across the country as well. So it's been uh really eye-opening experience to be able to engage with all these different um audio potential audiences for our upcoming film.

Lisa 2:40

Yeah, that it's it's really cool to think about that experience and the fact that we get to connect because of this documentary that you've done, Silver Screamers.

Sean’s Path To Heart-Forward Filmmaking

Lisa 2:50

Uh so maybe we can just start there. Can you? I know about it because I've dug in and I'm already so thrilled about it, but can you just share with everyone how that all got started, where this idea came from, and a little bit more about you, like before you got to Silver Screamers?

Sean 3:08

Um, yeah. Well, my name is Sean Cisterna. I'm uh Canadian filmmaker. I direct um, you know, inspiring films, uh, movies that are, you know, have a lot of heart and and maybe magic to them. Films often, you know, generally more than often they star youth protagonists, but in this case, I went uh full circle and and went or the other side of the spectrum and and made a film entirely with uh with older adults. Um, you know, I've done a number of different projects. Uh one of my previous films we shot in Southern Italy with uh Emmy winner Joe Pantaliano. That was a movie called From the Vine that's on Amazon right now. Um I did a movie called Full Out with Jennifer Beals that went to Netflix, and same with our movie Kiss and Cry. Uh that was also on Netflix. So I don't know. I think I'm I'm known for telling movies with uh heart because maybe I'm uh a bit of a romantic at heart myself. I married my high school sweetheart. So um, you know, showing a loving and caring relationship on on screen is what I kind of excel at. And I care deeply about my work and um I like to elevate it to the point where um it becomes uh, you know, through hard work and discipline, um uh maybe globally recognized. That's kind of always the goal when you make a film.

Lisa 4:23

Good for you. And it sounds like you started at a really young age, loving film. I don't know if you could speak a little bit more to that.

Sean 4:31

Yeah, totally. I mean, the first movie I remember seeing in in a theater was E.T. when I was four years old. I remember just leaving the theater, uh, you know, holding my dad's hand, just crying, uh, just wondering why ET had to go home. And um, it just knew instantly the the power of of movies and the power of cinema that that has over uh over an audience. And so even from a young age, I started researching what directors were and and how they contributed to this feeling that we all share as an audience, and yeah, set set my sights in in high school on on learning what it was to become a director. And you know, just knowing that there's probably a stepping stone to kind of uh elevate yourself in the craft, but um knowing that there were I could be one of those 300 names that go by at the end of a movie, you know, in the in the credits, I I figured that would be the one artistic discipline I might have a shot at. Um uh, you know, getting in as to one of those 300 people that go by, I can kind of weasel my way in and and figure out how the industry works.

Lisa 5:38

I love it. That's fantastic. It's so true because when you watch those credits, often I'm just going to admit that I think often we kind of go, okay, it's over. Um, but there are so many people who are involved in a project like that. And I don't know, you just think about how large, yeah, just how large that project would be, from thinking about locations and places that you're filming to if the people in the cast need to be cared for or supported, and then the food and how many days, and there's a lot more to it, isn't there?

Sean 6:13

Oh, there's totally. It's like there's pre-production, production, post-production, marketing, and distribution. It takes hundreds of people to get to movie uh from from the concept stage, like the idea in your head all the way to the uh the big screen. So yeah, there's that's awesome. It's a definitely a large creative community.

Lisa 6:31

Yeah, that's for sure. Now, maybe you could just tell a little bit about how you came up with the Silver Screamers

The Spark Behind Silver Screamers

Lisa 6:38

idea. How did this even become an idea or a thought in your head?

Sean 6:42

Well, I don't know, I I'd say two or three years ago. Um, I always wanted to make this short horror film called The Rug. And it's uh basically a horror movie, uh, you know, uh adapted from a short story that I um that I did the screenplay version of. It's about a rug that comes to life and and uh terrorizes this um elderly woman who finds it at the at the side of her road on on garbage day and brings it into her home. Um I couldn't find the funding for it. I applied, I applied. Rejection, rejection, rejection. It's just the nature of the uh Canadian film industry. You apply, hope for, hope for the funds, and they don't come. Either the project dies or you find some other creative way to do it. And then I came, you know, as I was getting rejected for from all these film funds, I got a an article across my desk from the the New Horizons for Seniors program. And it's this fund that I deciphered that uh somehow was meant to get older adults off off their couches and and trying something new and active. Um, could be hosting a bingo night, hosting a you know, a quilting club or something like that. And I thought, well, what if I just submit an application with the notion that the you know I could find a group of seniors cut to come together to make a horror movie and I could use the funds from this New Horizons project to make my movie. And and I have no idea why they said yes to that. Um and then I was on on the hook for finding um running around my community looking for, you know, uh eight seniors to to be my crew for this for this horror movie. Um, I went all around, um, you know, I I'm here in in York region. I went all around to different retirement homes, different senior active living centers, church groups, all looking for interested people uh to film our crew. And when they heard the words blood and gore, just nobody raised their hand. It was just I was met with crickets for what seemed like months. And then all of a sudden, one 96-year-old raised her hand and said, I want to be a part of this. And it was uh it was because of her, it was because of Audrey that uh that people felt compelled to to hop on the team and and and join this adventure.

Lisa 9:04

Wow, I love this. So I want to back up only because you've mentioned to me before, and I think I love the serendipity stories. You mentioned about how you found out about this New Horizons seniors grant. Can you share a little before we dive into Audrey and the rest and how that all went? Can you share a little bit more about like how did you learn about New Horizons in the very first place?

Sean 9:28

Oh, um, just it was just like um a flyer that came in through our mail. Like I think the the municipal or the uh local member of parliament, it was in uh uh her newsletter and thought, oh my god, well, I'm getting rejected from everything else. Why don't I just try something like this? It'll probably be a no anyway. Uh, but when it turned out to be a yes, that was like just a new kind of spark took over the project. And uh I'm not sure if we've made history by by using uh uh an entire crew of seniors on the project, but um, it certainly became history to me and to our cast and and crew. And you know, we eventually followed, we had the idea to shoot a not only the horror film, but uh um documentary at the same time as the horror film was being made. So it was a very complicated production. It was, you know, long intense days of shooting this horror movie, but at the same time, there's another crew filming a documentary, filming us making the movie. Wow, right. It was um multiple crews getting in the way of each other, but in the end, everybody, you know, fell for

Funding Rejections And A Lucky Flyer

Sean 10:35

the charm of the story of this, you know, these inexperienced group of older adults who seemingly had no interest or um experience in the film industry, uh seeing how they use their real life skills, their creative skills, and became part of a community themselves in the making of this horror movie.

Lisa 10:54

That is so cool. Everybody has to see. I'm sure it's okay if I link to the trailer in the show notes. Okay, so I'm just gonna reference it for a second because I think I've mentioned before um one of the inspirational stories for me that's really inspired me to be so focused on the power of video is the fact that I resonated with a lady who laughed at herself when she wore her slippers walking her granddaughter to school. And so that it wasn't so much like getting to know the lady and the lady's past history, it was the fact that she was able to laugh at herself. And that just really touched me deeply where I was able to understand her on a deeper level. So even though she couldn't communicate as well by the time I worked with her, seeing that part of her helped me have a different level of compassion and empathy. So, what I love about your trailer, and actually almost all of your trailers, I think, is that inspirational piece that you touched on too when you watched ET. And so there's this sense of lightness, but also like deep meaning behind it. But this levity that helps you like laugh along with the character and really resonate with them. Um, so I just love, I think we should talk probably at some point about the power of laughter and the sense of humor that I'm sure everybody would have had, maybe not in the moment, but maybe, but also after the fact, like looking back at like what they've done and what they've created. So the trailer itself, there is a part, there's a few parts. I just want to take a second and look at this. Oh, there was one part where there's a silence at the very beginning when the lady's reading out who's in, like you're trying to find people to take part in this horror movie. And I want to hear more about that. And then you at a different part you're talking about, you say they're asking for a larger font, and it was almost like, you know, what else am I gonna need to do? Or these things that maybe you hadn't thought through. So I just I would love to hear more about the experience on, you know, starting with trying to find people and then a little bit more about that process.

Sean 13:09

Yeah, there are definitely a few learning learning curves along the way. Um yeah, that that larger font moment was from our first script reading. We brought all our crew around a table for the first time and and read the script together, uh, but nobody could read the script because it's just in standard industry format. I didn't even think that uh, you know, you know, for an 80-year-old, it might be difficult to read. So we had to uh, you know, we only rented the room for like two hours, but uh that we had to reprint the entire scripts with a larger font. And uh that took another that took about an hour just to do that. So kind of cut short our day. But no, I mean the whole film is is is full of those um moments that didn't quite anticipate happening, but you, you know, that's that's the film industry. When uh when an obstacle happens on set, you have to come together as a team and and use your wits to try to figure it out because these issues have never happened the same thing twice, right? It's because every film is a a different story and it's never been committed to film before. So you're figuring things out every day as a team, and you know, you're trying to do it in the most uh creative and effective way possible. And thankfully, our our seniors have uh a wealth of experience, not in the film world, but in their in their past skills. So we had um David, who was our 80-year-old special effects uh expert. He would uh he had a puppeteering background, and so he was able to take this rug and make it come to life using his former puppeteer skills as a as a teacher. Um

Finding Seniors And Building The Crew

Sean 14:45

Lucia, you know, she's a 78-year-old uh little old Italian lady from from southern Italy, and and she's a painter, and and and uh she created the the sets and and and made our uh each um set as spooky as possible. And Sonny was our our uh he's our 80-year-old camera operator. He wanted to have a lot of smoke in one scene, but the smoke machine that he brought kind of set off the fire alarms in the in the location, and that kind of shut down production for about half an hour as the fire trucks came. So it's just all these um you know compiling problems added up to, you know, they make for a real really fun and exciting film to watch, but uh uh the day of it was just a you know a stress to uh to behold, which is you know, every every day a filming is like that, but it's uh you know, to watch our our crew overcome these challenges with uh you know a bit of levity was uh was the the fun part about it.

Lisa 15:42

Yeah, I bet. I bet. How long from beginning to end? So okay, first I want to know more about the people that you recruited. How did you find them? And you're mentioning some great skills that each of them has. Did you choose them for their skills, or were there a certain number of people that you know put their hands up and said, I want to do it? How did that go?

Sean 16:04

Um we yeah, well, we well, the we definitely have pre-established roles on a film set, and we're looking for the best people to fill those roles. Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot of um interested volunteers to work on this because of the whole horror film uh theme to it. But those that did, uh, you know, those eight heroes that that joined us on this kind of year-long adventure, they all just happened to fit uh fit into their roles like perfectly. And uh we we spoke to each individual like what they could bring to the table. And it was just kind of my idea to uh place them on a set where they would succeed most. Um, I'm thinking like Anthony, he's our uh props person, but he's Mr. Social. He he knows everybody in town, so I thought he'd be perfect for going around to to beg, borrow, and steal uh props for the uh film.

Lisa 16:59

That's hilarious. So you mentioned that it takes uh like it took a year from beginning to end.

Sean 17:06

Well, for the whole um project from start to finish. Um, so we, you know, even though production of the the short film was only two in very intense days, it was like the lead up of the writing, uh, the finding our our crew, teaching them all about uh what a film how a film set runs, um, going through uh the roles of each individual person and and their role on set. Uh so I spent time with each of them and we got to know them as well. So we shot uh I had them tell me their story on camera so I could get to learn a bit more about them before we actually showed up on set. And then afterwards there's all editing and and music and sound effects, and uh you know, our our senior team was there from the beginning to end, and uh even for the the music as well, we had a whole senior choir do the soundtrack to our film and it was pretty um special. That's awesome. Yeah, through and through. That's uh it's um amazing what a a a team of you know inexperienced seniors can can can do when when given the chance. It's pretty remarkable.

Lisa 18:10

Absolutely.

Sean 18:11

Yeah.

Lisa 18:13

Did did they know each other uh beforehand?

Sean 18:16

Nope, nobody knew each other. I think that was the the peo the appeal of it as well. Um each uh person signed on because they were, you know, something maybe was lacking in their lives, whether it be you know losing losing a spouse or um being isolated at a in a retirement home and not having many opportunities to do something like this. Um yeah, it it just took a a fun project to get everybody out of their shell. And so to see them from being an apprehensive uh subject for a documentary to you know walking red carpets and signing autographs is is pretty special.

Lisa 18:53

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, and that was the whole reason for that's why you received the grant, right? Was to increase opportunities for social connection and socialization and reduce

First Rehearsals And Real-World Hurdles

Lisa 19:05

the social isolation and loneliness, right?

Sean 19:07

Totally, yes. That's yeah, that's absolutely it. I don't think if they cared about the final product of the film. I think it was just more of a yeah, here's an opportunity for you know a group of people to get together and learn something new, learn a new skill. Um, I think we just push the boundaries of the uh the grant a little bit farther than maybe what they were comfortable with, but uh I think it ended up in a you know, it yielded a great result for everybody.

Lisa 19:34

I want to hear about how people are receiving the the documentary, but I'm also very curious to know about the people in the cast. What are they thinking now? Like reflecting back on that experience. Have they kept those relationships with one another? Do they keep in contact? Do they reflect with like a positive you know, outlook on the project?

Sean 19:58

Yes, definitely. Uh I think. They were all very excited when the um they they got together for the first time just a couple months ago. We we screened at the Toronto After Dark Festival. So it's this big genre festival in in Toronto. Happens every year. They they premiere the latest horror movies. Um and so that was the first time our team got together to watch themselves on a big screen. 450 people showed up at the uh at the venue at the Scotiabank downtown, and just they gave them uh a rousing standing ovation at the end. It was really uh stunning. So to yeah, I mean that's where they they pose for photos and and signed autographs and uh and um you know had their moment uh in front of the crowd, answering questions uh and and uh had all their accolades. So the yeah Silver Screamers has been playing uh internationally at at festivals um for the last uh few months since September. We premiered at Fantastic Fest in the in the United States. It's this big genre festival in the U.S. in Austin. Um we then went to Strasbourg and um, like I said, Toronto. We won the award at Celluloid Screens in the UK. It's like every major city has their own genre festival. And then we've also been screening at you know uh regional festivals uh around the the world as well. And uh it's nice to see that it it's it's winning awards and inspiring audiences, but the uh the best thing is to see our our our cast come out and and yeah and answer questions uh in front of the audience where they and then they're they're so eager to sign up for more and more screening. So I mean that's the only uh issue with me is I I'm kind of like the transportation guy. I kind of pick them up and we drive to a cinema and then I drive them back. They don't like to drive at night, so that's uh I've kind of taken up that uh that job.

Lisa 21:52

I'm kind of the same.

Sean 21:54

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I hear you.

Lisa 21:56

You get to you get to that point where you need glasses at you know the dark hours to make sure you see the lights. Totally.

Sean 22:02

What's remarkable at these screenings is uh how um intergenerational the response uh has been. Like younger audiences are loving it too, horror audiences are loving it, and it's a it's a sweet movie about a group of you know older adults who are getting out of their comfort zone and making a movie, but to see all these hardcore horror people who are used to like blood and dismemberment uh just cheering them on is pretty special. And these post-screening conversations are emotional or funny and they're they're personal. People are telling stories about their grandparents and how they wish they got involved in something like this. So, you know, people just don't want to watch it, they want to talk about it to their parents and their future selves and talk about their fears and their uh and their creativity. So that's what I have learned. Uh, you know, screening this project around uh has brought me.

Lisa 22:53

Yes. The what I think is so important is exactly what you're saying with having the time afterwards to have that opportunity for people to ask questions and the fact that they obviously it's a documentary, so you're gonna go and you're going to listen because that's the purpose of it. But I think it's crucial that we have that opportunity to stop and just listen and then ask questions and have follow-up, right? And and have that dialogue back and forth. And I think how meaningful and how important do you feel when people are asking you questions about something you were a part of? And I think that's where, at least with the digital storytelling little projects that I've done, that's the best part, you know, like it's the end when you're sharing it in some kind of a format where other people get to be a part of that and ask you questions and follow-up questions that you feel like you are the only one who can answer that because it's your personal opinion on what that was like. So I love that you mentioned the intergenerational part too, because that's so important to reduce stigma, be able to talk about the importance and what we all have to offer a community. Um, so some important conversations, even though it's such a fun project.

Sean 24:08

Yeah, well, what's strange is that they did they

Skills From Life, Not Film School

Sean 24:10

didn't see this in themselves beforehand. So, like a lot of the common feedback I got from our subject will was that um, you know, uh they they would say, I I didn't know I had this in me, or I didn't know people would want to watch me. Um so they're you know, but what I found is that, you know, put put in this situation, they're they're funny, they're vulnerable, they're opinionated, and and they're brave, and they're just very human. And who doesn't want to, who doesn't feel like they want to respond to that when they when they watch it? Um a lot of the subjects said they they didn't expect the experience to affect them so deeply. And for some it gave them uh confidence, for others it gave them um community. Um, and but for many it was permission to try something new again, you know what I mean?

Lisa 24:56

Mm-hmm. Wow. So what did you learn from doing this project? Like what did you take away from? Because this is very different for you as well, given that you haven't really applied to a grant like this before.

Sean 25:09

True.

Lisa 25:09

What did you take away from doing this type of project?

Sean 25:13

Um, that's a great question. Well, I think um I've learned that people don't need uh direction as much as like permission to be seen, sort of thing. So it's like I'd love that on this project I could kind of take a step back and let the cameras capture the the essence of people, you know what I mean? Um yeah, and so when that happens, uh authenticity kind of takes care of itself, and uh to be able to to use our camera to watch our you know hero seniors solve problems by themselves is um and and use their creativity was was inspiring to see because I'm a I'm a film nerd, like I love movies, I love behind the scenes, you know, um sequences on DVDs that I would always watch. So this this feels to me like one of those movies that I would have loved uh in film school, for example. I could I could watch people make a movie from start to finish and overcome all the challenges and and obstacles, and uh but to you know, to see a group of older adults do it and who have no experience, I mean that is that that's what I find super inspiring about this this group that we happen to find.

Lisa 26:26

What do you think made Audrey say yes? Because she was the very first one who agreed, right?

Sean 26:31

Yeah. Um ever tell you uh no, I've she just wanted to do something new. She said, I'm st I'm I can still do things. I I want a new challenge, and you know, she just didn't want to sit in a chair and and do nothing. This was her chance to get up and try something new. You know, she she can't hear very well, but she wanted to be our sound recordist, and so that was a perfect role for her. She got to put on the headphones and press the red button and record the sound and press stop, and she thrived in that in that role.

Lisa 27:05

That's incredible.

Sean 27:06

Yeah.

Lisa 27:07

I think it's a good message to remember that we all need something to work towards that's larger than ourselves, and so we each can find purpose, maybe in you know, doing our daily routines. But I think your project really allowed for community building where they came together for a larger, bigger purpose, you know, where they could really show off. They were doing it more for you, probably more for this project. But also ultimately it's showing how people can come together and form community and create something pretty incredible.

Sean 27:42

Totally. I mean, there was, of course, like I said, there's very much hesitation at first, but once people realized it wasn't about talent or performance, but more like play and participation, like that, that's when the walls came down. And many participants said, I've never done anything like this, and and that was exactly the point that we uh we wanted. So, you know, we built we built that trust early on, and that became the the foundation of the film.

Lisa 28:06

That would be huge, the trust piece. What do you think would be so I I think there's a lot of not only healthcare professionals listening out there, but I also think that there's a lot of storytellers. So the other side, people maybe like yourself, uh, life story writers, uh, memoirists, videographers. So I'm curious to know what you would

From Isolation To Community

Lisa 28:30

say the biggest challenges were with doing this type of a project. Is there any lessons that you could share maybe with the listeners?

Sean 28:39

Um well, funding is always a big one. So let's just uh assume that's not a barrier and that uh you you have uh ample funding for your project. But for me, it's um I think the camera wasn't there to um necessarily uh expose, it was just there to witness, like to when the the camera was there um capturing our our seniors, solving problems and and and being creative and and coming together as a community. I mean, that just yielded such uh beautiful and heartfelt footage. We didn't um we didn't construct moments for them to uh that felt contrived. They were just naturally occurring moments in the day of a shooting a film that uh that would be captured and and and seeing those problems uh play out and and and be solved creatively was uh was the most beautiful part about the uh the whole thing.

Lisa 29:32

I bet, I bet. And just to go back to the humor piece, it it is it's such a meaningful documentary, in my opinion, but you do weave in very nicely the humor piece. Do you how do you do all of your films incorporate humor, would you say? Like is that something that's a strength of yours? And how do you decide when it's the right time? I'm just curious.

Sean 29:56

Yeah, maybe I think a lot I think a lot of my uh contemporaries love the more dark and dramatic uh projects that Canada's kind of known for. But uh no, I mean I'm I'm more of a lighthearted individual. And if I I I don't want to um immerse myself in two hours of sadness, I'd rather, you know, watch a film and and and be inspired or or laugh through it. And you know, there's no there's obviously there's there's laughter in my on our film, but we're never poking fun at uh and anybody. It's it's people are laughing at themselves and and the situation that they're in. And I think that um you can get points across and and inspire by by using by using levity and and humor. I I think we hook people right away, even at the the uh the tagline or the just the the synopsis of our film, you know, what would happen if a group of inexperienced senior citizens came together and made a horror movie. Like that's we we found that when we're pitching that to uh to theaters to to book our film, that's they they get it right away and and are able to book the film.

Lisa 30:58

So yeah, yeah.

Sean 31:00

Um yeah, so that happens that you know um the uh the humor sort of sells itself.

Lisa 31:06

That's right. Yeah, you get it. You're painting a picture in your head already of it, right?

Sean 31:10

Yeah.

Lisa 31:11

That's cute. So the intergenerational part. Tell me a little bit more about that. What did what was that like? Did they easily, you know, connect right away? Was there some learning at the beginning? And what did they learn from each other?

Sean 31:26

Um, at first, I mean, we did we talk about this in the film, but our insurance provider, once they found out that um it was a crew of seniors that were going to be operating about $800,000 worth of equipment, uh, they said no. They turned us down. They said you could make the make this film with uh this this crew that you're proposing. So they said we had to have some uh experienced younger crew members to to be on set as well. So, and that's but that turned out to be a great element of our film because we we partnered each of our hero seniors with a a younger, more experienced person in the industry, and they were able to kind of learn from each other and and carry the heavy equipment as well. So we we couldn't have like Sunny, for example, carrying, you know, 300 pounds worth of gear up and down stairs at an old historic home that we shot

Festival Ovations And Intergenerational Buzz

Sean 32:20

at. Um, but when we partnered them with um younger crew members, uh they they they definitely learn from each other and and form these beautiful relationships in the film as well. I'm thinking Sarah was our makeup artist. Um she's like in her early late 20s, early 30s, and she was paired with Diane, who's in her 80s, and those two have the most charming, fun relationship on camera. They are you know hugging each other by the end of the movie and you know, wiping away tears when the project is over. It's it's a pretty beautiful uh way to have you know pair you know a more experienced person with a lesser experienced person, but both share um wisdom and and knowledge from their their past to to you know bring to their um bring to the film.

Lisa 33:05

Wow, wow, I love that so much. You went to a conference or something that that's how you reached out to me. What was that conference called?

Sean 33:13

Yeah, so I um back in uh October, just a couple of months ago, I went to the um CAG conference. What's it called? The Canadian Association of Gerontology. And so this was about a month after we debuted our film. I thought, um, yeah, I'm gonna go speak at this conference and just let people know that this movie's coming in 2026. And after I spoke for about 10 minutes and and showed the trailer at this conference, we started getting approach from all these different aging organizations and and centers wishing to know how they could sign up to screen the movie uh when it was um when it's eventually became ready for for screening. And so yeah, just little did I know that just um appearing at that conference could yield so many, um, so much interest from across the country. And I think it's um yeah, a unique way for a film to market itself. Um, you know, it's a it's a we're a documentary, we don't have a huge budget to, you know, buy ads on television or anything like that. So to speak to the individuals like yourself who are are in this world and and have connections to you know other aging aging organizations or senior living centers or some sort of uh organization centered around senior uh the uh you know senior communities. It's a unique way of getting our film out there to the audiences that um it was made for.

Lisa 34:41

I think that's a fantastic idea. And I I think it's so cool that you'd go to that type of a conference. And you're right, because you're in front of people who, in my opinion, like I think we're all hungry for creative ideas. And with my background and you know, my my skill sets in recreation, I know that people think, oh, you know, if I have to play bingo for another day, like I hear that all the time. You can make bingo fun. You can make anything fun. If you're having fun, then it's gonna be fun for other people. If you're bored, then it's not gonna go over so well. But I love the fact that you found people connected with this and jumped on board because it is, it's different. And I think it it does a great job empowering all types of ages. Like anybody would, I not so much the horror piece, but how cool would it be? I would love to be in a movie or a, you know, like something like that. And I think a lot of people in the community, even no matter what age, would love to be approached to be like, uh, maybe I could do that, but maybe not have the skills at all. So I think just being able to learn something new and forget about the age completely. But like you're breaking down all those barriers and creating this opportunity to think differently and outside the box and helping people like me to go, why not? Like, why can't we try something new? Right. So I think it's a fantastic idea.

Sean 36:11

Um yeah. I mean, to be honest, I was terrified at this this conference because they they lumped me in with a group of speakers who had um doctorates, like PhDs, and they all presented their their case studies and their scientific research and and how they their papers had elevated the I don't know, the industry and scientific journals and whatnot. And then they called me up to give my speech. I have zero scientific background, no credibility in in the field whatsoever, but um I I guess the uh the room responded to uh to the the trailer and uh and they approached me right afterwards with with enthusiasm. So that uh that nervousness went up went away pretty quickly. I I did not think I fit into that uh conference at all, just not having the credentials everybody else did.

Lisa 36:56

But that's why they attracted to you, right? That's why people came to you because you didn't fit into it.

Sean 37:01

Maybe, maybe, yeah. Okay, okay. I I buy that. Yeah, but just to not have that, you know, registered therapist badge or or whatnot.

Trust, Humor, And Meaningful Levity

Sean 37:10

I just I felt like uh oh god, they're gonna they're gonna kill me at this conference. Yeah.

Lisa 37:15

Hopefully everybody was kind too.

Sean 37:17

No, it's quite the opposite. Yeah, so they're very lovely. Yeah, and then I'm headed to um in March, I'll be headed to uh another uh it's called the Geron Technology Conference in Vancouver. So it's uh it's a conference mixing technology and and gerontology, and I'll be speaking at that event in February. I'm headed to Mumbai, India, and I'm gonna be teaching a group of seniors in Mumbai how to make a film and shooting a short film with them. Then someone in a festival in Brussels heard about that, and they're inviting me to Brussels in April to shoot a short film with a group of seniors. So it's uh it's amazing how this little idea is catching on at in different countries around the world, and that's incredible.

Lisa 37:59

So it's growing legs for sure.

Sean 38:00

Yeah, if that's my legacy to uh to be the you know, the filmmaker teaches uh older adults how to how to make a movie, uh, a horror movie, then uh that's a great legacy to to have.

Lisa 38:12

That's incredible. So, do you what do you okay? You're teaching older adults how to do this horror horror movie idea. Do you also do documentaries? Like, are you capturing that through video with them as well? Or is this kind of like a you do classes and then move on? What does that mean?

Sean 38:27

Basically, yeah, where they they want to screen our film in these different countries at these different festivals, but at the same time, like they're um, they said we, you know, we saw what you did. We love can you do this with our seniors when you come to uh to screen your film? So it's uh it's a unique way to uh connect directly to to older adults around the world and and be able to screen our film and have these conversations at the same time. And if we shoot something, you know, if we shoot like a two-minute short film while I'm there, it it plays before silver screamers in in a hometown setting, right? So seniors in Brussels will see themselves on a big screen and be able to take a bow and before our movie screens at the uh the festival.

Lisa 39:11

Wow. If we if somebody like me, let's pretend that I work in a long-term care home or let's make a retirement home or a community center. I know they'd be all be a little bit different. But say I was in one of those um locations and I'm the recreation staff. What tips, being that you're an outsider and you have more the film experience, what tips would you give me, not being a you know a filmmaker myself, um, if I wanted to try some kind of a project like this on a very small scale, what would you suggest to somebody like me with no experience?

Sean 39:53

Lisa, that's a great question. So and I think um what uh has been um most illuminating is that. We were approached by an educational distributor to to create a guide with our with our film so that when our film goes to um when it gets sent out for screenings, we have an educational guide for people exactly like that, for people who work in in senior care to this is how you make a film. Step one is to have a camera, whether it be a phone or a camera that the residents might have, and how to set it up and what kind of framing to use, how close between the camera and the subject should your um you know, your subject sit. Here are the questions that you might want to ask and and how to elicit uh storytelling from the subject. So we do have a whole educational guide to go along with our film that provides just that. And it's all about you know, well, you know, some of the the questions could be like if you're asking a uh a resident what was the most important thing that happened in your life, and can you tell that in two minutes? And the little you know images will be conjured up and and stories, and you just if you can get them to to tell them, you know, your most the most important story that you want to leave for your family. I mean, that's uh what a what a way for the the words to start flowing.

Lisa 41:15

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think having um a theme,

Pairing Seniors With Younger Crew

Lisa 41:20

like you've mentioned before, um, not on this podcast, but one thing that I have talked about before is metaphors and themes and how that can really help a storyline, you know, like whether it's it's not so much showing an apple when you're talking about eating an apple, but if you're hungry, you might show an apple, or you know, if something's really challenging, you might show a mountain and somebody climbing a mountain, kind of like your logo, I think, for yeah, right. So um even those types of things, like listening to the words that they say, like it was I was drowning when that happened, you know, like you can paint a picture in your mind on what theme you might want to go with, given the words that they're using to help with that story, too, right?

Sean 42:04

Totally. Yeah, you're you're thinking like a director now, like you're using images to convey uh ideas and and rather than words, right? So that's uh yeah, I think we should swap roles, Lisa.

Lisa 42:16

Well, we're on the we're on the same track then. Good. I'm gonna have one more question for you.

Sean 42:22

Of course, yeah.

Lisa 42:24

This is something I've I tend to ask at the end of conversations, not always, but I'm curious to know what your answer would be. If say you weren't able to speak up for yourself, whether it was for cognitive, emotional, or physical reasons, what would you want others to know about you? What really matters to you?

Sean 42:49

Wow.

Lisa 42:49

Um like say something, say you only had, you can use video if you wanted to. Like if you only had say 15 to 30 seconds of of video, what would that show for somebody to get to really know you to be able to give you good care, say, if you're in the hospital, for example?

Sean 43:07

Yeah, uh, that's a great question. I mean, like I said, I've spent my life in the in the film industry and I'm I'm fairly comfortable conveying uh emotions and and and words through images. And so I don't know. I I have to put myself in in that moment at a very specific time to, you know, but I would I would use camera, camera movement and and images to kind of convey what I what I'm going through. I mean, yeah film film is essentially a a moving painting. If you want if you want to think about like how the you know the the renaissance artists of the the past kind of use paint and and lighting to uh convey uh themes and and emotions. That's essentially what what film is. It's just moving paintings, moving images that uh and so yeah, I'll have to let you know when I'm in that phase of my life. I would and if I lost the ability to speak, I would kind of uh convey what I'm feeling through uh through a camera. And the beautiful thing about it is that we all have cameras now.

Lisa 44:08

That's right.

Sean 44:09

Cell cell phones, uh, we're carrying cameras in our pockets and movie studios in our pockets. We can convey those images with uh with the tools in our pocket. It's it's uh it's an exciting time to uh to be alive as a as a filmmaker.

Lisa 44:23

Yeah, it's very easy to do now, isn't it? And I'll just add that people uh listening won't be able to see, but you have all the posters of the films that you've helped to create. So um I would say that, and then adding you know, the elements of of music and the transitions and the colors and shades and all that stuff. Um, it's easy to see. I don't know, your personality just shines through. So I just appreciate your time and everything you've shared. Is there anything else that you'd like to share before we end?

Sean 44:57

Um let's see. Well, Silver Screamers comes out uh later this year. Um, we'll be screening in in various

Taking The Movement To Conferences

Sean 45:05

um provinces and territories. And uh if you want to kind of follow along with our progress or or book the film yourselves, you can reach out to us on social media. We're at at Silverscreamers Doc on Instagram and Facebook. Um I'm also very findable on on social media. It's just at Sean Sisterna. And you can yeah, reach out to me and or DM me. And um, if you're in the field of um, you know, senior care or you know in in health organizations uh and and want to book the film for a fun, inspirational night and have host a discussion afterwards, I'm I'd be honored to uh to screen the film for you. Just reach out.

Lisa 45:45

I would love that. Thank you. I'm sure you'll get a lot of calls from this. And I hope so. I want to have you come my way. So we'll have conversations about that. You mentioned that the full documentary is going to be available in 2026. Yes. When like where do we find that? Where can I listen to the see the whole thing?

Sean 46:04

Um, yeah, I mean we're we're starting in uh in early February. So in February, we'll be at in at the uh film festival in Peterborough. Then we're screening with the McMaster University at the the Gilbrea Center has rented a theater in in Hamilton. So we're just kind of doing these pop-up screenings around the around the country. Screenings in Vancouver, Montreal, Ontario, Manitoba. And then we're gonna be screening at the Hot Doc Cinema in April in Toronto. So you just kind of have to find us, uh, follow us on online and find out where we'll be. And um as the film opens uh later in the spring, then we'll open uh to more and more markets throughout the spring and summer and and fall 2026. We're gonna be a very it's gonna be a very busy and uh inspiring um screening schedule.

Lisa 46:52

Oh my goodness. Well, hopefully some of the people from your cast can join me on the podcast too. Do you think they'd be interested?

Sean 46:58

They would definitely be willing and able to, absolutely.

Lisa 47:02

Okay, awesome.

Sean 47:03

Our publicist uh gave them a day of PR training, so they're they're used to uh but they often like insult me on camera though. Like they'll they'll uh they thought they they would they have interviews with other like US outlets and say, well, uh when Sean reached out to me, I thought he was a crackhead and uh and they didn't want to sign up, so they'll they have no filter, which is what I love about them as well.

Lisa 47:28

I love it, that's fantastic. Well, thank you for this. It's been a blast, and you've just yeah, I was looking forward to this for so long, and I appreciate all the time that you've given. So thank you.

Sean 47:39

No problem. Thank you, Lisa. Bye.

Lisa 47:42

Thanks for listening today. If you enjoyed this episode, take a minute to look at the show notes for resources and links, and be sure to leave me a rating and review. And also you can follow the show so that you get notified of when the next one comes out. And lastly, if you can think of somebody in your life who you think would enjoy this podcast, I hope you share it with them as well so that they can listen in on the conversations and ponder how to capture their own essence. Take care, and I look forward to the next time.