This is a first for Seven Songs. With music all around us, and Mandy and Hilary and a guitar right here, how could we resist? For our second screening we decided to take a risk and do a documentary singalong with the audience.
After the screening, with the film medley Dream a little Dream fresh in their minds, the cinema threw a spotlight on the stage; Hilary grabbed a guitar, the lyrics appeared on the screen, Mandy began to sing. Slowly, slowly, the audience began to join in.
Then the local Threshold hospice choir raised their voices and we were away - Mandy, Hilary, and 200 people singing their hearts out. It was magical, unforgettable and even had the cinema staff in tears.
The next day Mandy and Hilary are getting recognised in the endless queues in SxSW. People are coming up and hugging them, thanking them for an extraordinary experience of live cinema. Live Cinema! I love it.
Today we will meet with the director of Austin's only in-patient hospice, the 14-bed Christopher House. We will get a sense of what challenges are faced b US palliative care providers, and how it compares with the UK. More tomorrow….
