Don't Forget To Remember

A poetic portrait of love, memory and art in the face of Alzheimer’s.

Don’t Forget to Remember is a deeply personal documentary film by Ross Killeen, created in collaboration with acclaimed Dublin artist Asbestos. Both artists share the experience of caring for mothers affected by Alzheimer’s and Dementia, transforming their grief and love into a creative dialogue about memory, identity and the resilience of the human spirit. The film opens an honest conversation about the delicate nature of memory and the ways art can preserve the essence of those we love, even as recollection fades.

Centred on Asbestos’s artistic process, the film follows him as he creates a series of chalkboard portraits symbolising the gradual erosion of memory. Through this act, he accepts the inevitability of his mother Helena’s decline while preserving her presence in collective remembrance. Killeen mirrors this through his own reflections on his late mother, Patricia, blending their personal stories into a shared meditation on loss, care and connection.

Visually striking and emotionally raw, the film weaves together multiple formats; ARRI Alexa, Mini DV, 16mm and archival footage, under the cinematography of Narayan Van Maele and the editing of Vincent McEntee. Asbestos’s photographic animation adds further depth to this multilayered exploration of memory’s fragility.

Awarded the Audience Choice and Honourable Mention at the Dublin International Film Festival, Don’t Forget to Remember premiered internationally at Sheffield DocFest. It stands as a love story and an artistic act of healing, reminding viewers that while memories may fade, their emotional imprint can never truly be erased.