Cohort 
2022

Zach Bandler

Film Director and Screenwriter

If society is to ever truly reduce the global health impact of dementia, it will take not only the work of dedicated researchers, but also storytellers committed to visibility and public advocacy.

Current Work

Zach is a director and screenwriter focused on creating informed and empathetic narratives through his work in film and television.

Personal Hero

John Steinbeck

Words of Strength

Collaboration

Vision

If society is to ever truly reduce the global health impact of dementia, it will take not only the work of dedicated researchers, but also storytellers committed to visibility and public advocacy for the individual human lives who inspire that work.

Strategy

Zach is committed to a deep-research process in his work that dramatizes the lives of his characters with authenticity. Zach believes that it is imperative that, as a filmmaker, he approaches the human stories of dementia with as much accuracy as he does creativity.

Impact

Zach intends to immerse himself in cross-disciplinary collaboration necessary to help him accurately dramatize the lives of those experiencing and treating dementia. Through cinema, he hopes to bring dignity, beauty, witness, and compassion to their stories.

Motivation

Dementia is ubiquitous in the United States but its effects are particularly hard on rural communities where people deal with growing healthcare inequity, senior poverty and lack access to the institutional resources available in large urban centers.