Hearts Remember: SA’s Dementia Stories Go Global

There are some stories we tell loudly. Others unfold quietly inside family homes, behind closed doors and in moments that outsiders rarely see.

Hearts Remember is putting those quieter stories of dementia and ageing into the spotlight — and taking them from South Africa to one of the world’s biggest international platforms for dementia research.

Directed by award-winning South African filmmaker Paul Modjadji, the documentary will be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2026 in London, placing deeply personal South African experiences within a global conversation about brain health.

Beyond the Diagnosis

One of the documentary’s most powerful stories belongs to legendary football coach Clive Barker, whose experience of living with Lewy body dementia is being told on screen for the first time.

For his son John, the project is about answering a question many South Africans had when Barker disappeared from the coaching sidelines: why did he stop?

But Hearts Remember goes beyond explaining a diagnosis. It explores what happens when a person’s identity, independence and memories begin changing — and what that means for the people who love them.

The documentary also follows Marinda Breedt’s Alzheimer’s journey, as well as influencer Nduduzo Kay and his grandmother Zithi Elisabeth Khoza, offering different perspectives on dementia, family and care.

That diversity matters because there is no single South African dementia story.

A Conversation We Need to Have

In a culture where conversations around ageing, mental health and cognitive decline can still be uncomfortable, Hearts Remember chooses intimacy over statistics.

The camera enters real lives, allowing audiences to experience dementia through relationships rather than simply through medical terminology.

Screen icons Abigail Kubeka and Lillian Dube also contribute their voices, widening the conversation around ageing and mental health.

For Modjadji, filmmaking becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a tool for challenging stigma and creating space for conversations that families may otherwise avoid.

And that makes the documentary particularly relevant to younger South Africans.

The Future Is Getting Older

South Africa and the wider African continent are entering a major demographic shift. As populations age, dementia awareness, caregiving and healthy ageing will increasingly affect younger generations — whether through parents, grandparents, relatives or communities.

The responsibility therefore doesn’t belong only to healthcare professionals.

It belongs to families, storytellers, policymakers, employers and younger people who will increasingly find themselves navigating the realities of ageing alongside their own ambitions and busy urban lives.

Hearts Remember puts that responsibility into human terms: sometimes care is about staying present even when there is no easy solution.

From Johannesburg to London

The documentary previously premiered globally at the 17th International Conference on Ageing and screened at the Human Rights Film Festival 2026 in Johannesburg.

Its presentation at AAIC 2026 in London marks another step for a distinctly South African perspective entering the international dementia conversation.

More importantly, it demonstrates the power of local storytelling to make global issues feel personal.

Because when memory starts to fade, what remains is often the relationship — the love, patience, humour and humanity connecting people through the uncertainty.

That is the heart of Hearts Remember.

And perhaps its biggest message is also its simplest: even when memories change, the stories we share can help us remember how to care.