They already delight with an online news broadcast. Now these Kennewick seniors have made a film

The Tri-Cities’ most technologically savvy seniors are at it again.

Residents of Brookdale Canyon Lakes in Kennewick — known for their delightful online newscast, This Week at Canyon Lakes — wrote, shot, directed and edited a five-minute film called Hope, which aims to dispel myths about aging.

They entered it into a film festival put on by their retirement community’s parent company. And it’s among the cream of the crop, nominated in the Best Acting category.

It’s also a finalist for the festival’s Ecolab People’s Choice Award.

Voting ends Oct. 2. To cast a vote, go to visit.brookdale.com/peoples-choice-awards.

About a dozen local Brookdale residents worked on the film, said Joe Green, resident programs coordinator.

“They are just over-the-moon excited about it,” he said. “Whether we win or not, they had such a good time making it. (The recognition) is just the cherry on top.”

A total of 74 films were entered into the Celebrate Aging Film Festival, with nine finalists chosen in the Best Picture, Best Writing, Best Acting and Best Technical Design categories.

The nominees also are finalists for the people’s choice award.

The local Kennewick film was the only finalist from the West Coast.

Green said the residents spent 10 weeks working on Hope, using iPads to do most of their work. Their initial cut clocked in at 15 minutes, and they pared it down to five minutes to meet festival criteria.

It follows a resident named Hope, played by Joyce Green (no relation to Joe), who’s worried about moving into Brookdale.

In the opening scene, a friend warns her to prepare for bingo and the end of learning and experiencing new things.

“Maybe this move is a mistake,” Hope says forlornly.

But, she quickly discovers new friends and exciting experiences waiting for her.

“A retirement community is not a place to wither away. There are all sorts of activities and opportunities for the residents to partake in,” a fellow resident tells her.

“Don’t think of this as the end of your story,” says another. “This is just the beginning of a new and exciting chapter.”

Hope realizes she has “a lot more living to do” — from hitting up happy hour with her friends to jetting off on a Hawaiian cruise.

Joe Green noted the plot is true-to-life. Joyce just got back from a Hawaiian cruise with some of the Brookdale crew.

Joe Green and resident Ginger Vetrano, who appears in the film and helped behind the scenes, are traveling to Tennessee for the awards ceremony Oct. 4.

This story was originally published October 1, 2017 at 2:38 PM with the headline "They already delight with an online news broadcast. Now these Kennewick seniors have made a film."