Filmmaker Trish Tolentino with a pair participating in “What Makes a Mother?”
photo courtesy Rebekah Henderson
This story was originally published at westword.com titled, Ross-Cherry Creek Library Documentary Asks, “What Makes a Mother?”
By Laura Shunk
Rebekah Henderson, a librarian at the Ross-Cherry Creek branch of the Denver Public Library, met Trish Tolentino when the latter came into the library to film a participant in one of Henderson’s reading programs. Tolentino owns Stories Not Forgotten, through which she makes short documentaries for families, capturing stories and interviews as a video keepsake. “I thought that was such a beautiful idea,” says Henderson. “I lost my mom a year ago to cancer, and I thought of all the questions I should have asked her. I wish I had some footage like that of my mom.”
Over the course of the interviews, Henderson and Tolentino met Barbara Hoffman and her daughter Marlow, and learned that Barbara was looking for a kidney. “I asked, ‘What’s the proudest moment?'” Henderson recalls. “And Barbara says, “Well I’m looking for a living donor for a kidney, and my daughters are helping me doing that.’ I was really moved by that; it would be so great if we could get her a kidney.” To that end, they plan to drive viewers of the documentary toward Barbara’s Facebook page for kidney donation. You can read more of the story at westword.com.
Filmmaker & Librarian Rebekah Henderson
You can help Barbara Hoffman find a living kidney donor get more information @kidneyforbarbara Facebook page. Both the documentary and the Hoffmans story were featured by the local Denver NBC 9 NEWS affiliate here.
Marlowe (left) & Barbara Hoffman
Get more information about Stories Not Forgotten at their webpage here. Get more background on the project and follow Rebekah’s blog. I’m hoping to interview the filmmakers on the film and the Hoffman’s search.
