Documentary on Woman’s Struggle Against Dementia to Premiere March 10

The documentary “Looks Like Laury, Sounds Like Laury,” which tells the story of a woman fighting Frontotemporal Dementia, will premiere on American television next Tuesday, March 10th at 8 pm on the World Channel. The film produced by Pamela Hogan and Connie Shulman will be broadcasted as part of the third season of American ReFramed/PBS WORLD, and will be available for a month for free.

The hour-long documentary shows the story of Laury Sacks, a 45-year-old actress and mother of two, who was known to be clever and witty. However, a year later she started forgetting some words, which soon developed into losing the ability to speak. Being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, she asked her friends and filmmakers Pamela Hogan and Connie Shulman to record her struggle.

The result of one year of filming, during which the filmmakers followed Laury and watched the decline due to the symptoms of the disease, is an intense documentary and portrait of a woman fighting something she never thought would happen to her. “What do I hope for? I hope for — the truth!” she said during the first day of filming, according to a press release.

“’Looks Like Laury, Sounds Like Laury’ invites viewers to reflect and learn about a degenerating disease that seemingly comes out of nowhere,” said the executive producer of WORLD Channel and co-executive producer of America ReFramed, Chris Hastings. “Courageous and touching, the film is also about friendship and love.”

Since frontotemporal dementia is a disease about which not much is known, the documentary is also expected to raise awareness about it, as well as support the advocating efforts to find a treatment or even a cure for it. After the premiere of the film, Natasha Del Toro will host a discussion on the impact of dementia on caregivers with the help of Nicole McGurin from the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter.

“AmDoc is thrilled to collaborate with WORLD Channel on the third season of America Reframe presenting the television premieres and encores of important films such as Looks Like Laury, Sounds Like Laury,” added the executive director of American Documentary, Inc., Simon Kilmurry. “As co-producers, we share a passion for storytellers committed to helping us gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of America today.”

More information about the documentary and its trailer are available on the website LooksLikeLaury.com, while the documentary will be available until April 9 on the website of the WORLD channel.