My Million Dollar Mom, a film shot in the Philadelphia area and based on Ross Schriftman’s book by the same name, premiered May 14 at the Ambler Theater in Ambler, Pennsylvania. The film was inspired by real events in Schriftman’s life and stars Pete Postiglione and Susan Moses, two actors who have appeared in film and television shows such as Silver Linings Playbook, Invincible and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

When an aging mom, played by Moses, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, her son, played by Postiglione, steps forward to care for her. At the same time, he is offered a last-chance opportunity to run for Congress. He must decide between his life-long dream and his mom’s wishes to remain in her home under his care. The life lesson of caring for one another through Tikkun Olam (the Hebrew expression for repairing the world) is the theme of the film.

After the screening, there was a question and answer session with Schriftman, Kevin Hackenberg, the film’s director, and cast members. Hackenberg mentioned how great it was to work with Schriftman on this film. Pete Postiglione, who played Schriftman in the film, became emotional when talking about what a privilege it was to portray Ross and to honor the memory of his mom. There was even a “Hitchcock-type” moment in the film that someone in the audience commented on, where Postiglione, playing Schriftman, was running down a street and the real Schriftman portraying a passing runner, shouted out “Hi Ross.”

Ross Schriftman, author, screenwriter and producer of My Million Dollar Mom, hopes that the film will raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and other forms of Dementia as he and others commit to finding a cure. “The personality of a loved one living with this condition is foremost in our story,” said Schriftman. “My mom was still the same caring person she always was, although the confusion, memory loss and angry outbursts prevalent with Alzheimer’s were ever-present."

Through an educational advisory group that he has formed, and with the help of Kevin Jameson, founder of the Dementia Society of America, Schriftman is creating a “Presentation in A Box” for community events which will include the film, his book about his mom and a discussion guide for audiences to help people better understand dementia and encourage them to plan ahead. In addition, the advisory group is developing continuing education programs for medical, legal and financial professionals. “We want to contribute to enhancing the skills and knowledge of people in these fields about issues related to planning for and providing care for those who live with Dementia,” Schriftman said.

This film is directed by Kevin Hackenberg, who began his career working on the M. Night Shyamalan films The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. He went on to establish the production company Get-Kinetic in 2003 in Philadelphia, where he and his staff create visual content for clients as varied as Temple University and NBC10 in Philadelphia.

For information about the film visit www.mymilliondollarmom.com