A Unified Presence

Caring: Asheville filmmakers Dylan and Melanie Trivette premier their documentary, A Unified Presence, on Oct. 15. The project follows six Asheville health workers on a mission in Zambia.

Emmy Award-winning Trivette Images — founded by Asheville husband-and-wife team Dylan and Melanie Trivette — strives to dismantle stigmas with its recent film, A Unified Presence. “Documentaries are associated with handheld cameras and talking heads,” says Dylan. “But they can be cinematic.” They can also tell compelling stories.

The film follows six health workers from Asheville on a journey through Zambia as they visit four districts and see thousands of patients, hoping to assist and educate Zambian healthcare workers.

The Trivettes share producing and editing credits in the project: Dylan handles the cinematography; Melanie records audio and acts as interviewer. “Before the trip I had little knowledge of what palliative care was,” Melanie admits. “During the 18 days filming, I witnessed American and Zambian physicians, nurses and caregivers administering to a patient's physical, mental, social and spiritual needs. I learned firsthand that compassion needs no translation.”

The film tackles a subject many Americans avoid: the process of death, or, more accurately, end-of-life care. Palliative care focuses on providing relief from symptoms, pain and stress of a serious illness regardless of prognosis. The goal is to improve the quality of life of the patient and the family.

The project was the first face-to-face liaison between Four Seasons Compassion for Life, a nonprofit based in Flat Rock with 30 years experience, and Palliative Care Association of Zambia. The partnership began in 2011 through the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Four Seasons reports that Zambia has been hit hard with the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has the second-highest rate of cervical cancer in the world, and that Zambian health workers lack training, education and access to medications. “It costs about $8000 to train one Zambian doctor,” Dylan says.

The film premier will include a reception with wine, beer and appetizers, as well as a conversation with filmmakers and representatives from Four Seasons. All proceeds go toward training doctors and nurses in Zambia.

“What was most amazing was how intelligent and compassionate the Zambians are,” Dylan says, “They’re not looking for a handout. They want to dictate their own fate, but they need training.” According to Four Seasons, Zambia has only 780 doctors compared to North Carolina, which has more than 22,300, despite having a similar in population.

“Each one of us is on a journey toward the end of our life,” Dylan observes. “What we do to support palliative care will eventually come back around to support us all.”

What: Documentary Film Premiere: A Unified Presence

Where: Asheville Community Theater, 35 E Walnut St., Asheville

When: Tuesday Oct. 15, 6:30-9 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online http://www.zambiafundraiser.com/, or at the door.

— Toni Sherwood is an Asheville-based writer.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Toni Sherwood
Toni Sherwood is an award-winning filmmaker who enjoys writing articles, screenplays, and fiction. She appreciates the dog-friendly, artistic community of Asheville.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.