Season 10

Strikers

Amber Love (Co-Director & Editor), Andrea Raby (Co-Director & Producer)

A funny, heartfelt look at gaming into the golden years, “Strikers” follows the reigning Wii Bowling champs of Eden Supportive Living as they compete in a statewide Wii Bowling Championship for assisted living facilities.

Documentary

Aging Illness Modernity

Disability Older Adults

Upbeat

Why we chose this film.

This documentary tells a story of authentic camaraderie among older adults navigating the challenges of aging, illness, and disability. We hope this film inspires conversations about the role of creative play, teamwork, and shared experiences in fostering connection at any age.

Filmmaker

Inspiration

Making “Strikers” has been one of our most fun filmmaking experiences to date. We were both interested in making a film about friendship and connection in assisted living facilities because both of us had family members in similar stages of life. We saw that they struggled to make new relationships and to find new activities that made each week feel fresh. Both of us knew that libraries would sometimes hold Wii Sports competitions, but when we learned that the Illinois Assisted Living Coalition held a statewide Wii Bowling competition, we immediately got in contact with them. It turned out that the reigning champs were not far from Chicago, where we’re both based. The guys were welcoming and excited to share this piece of their lives with us. Their Wii Bowling team has been an incredibly meaningful way of meeting people, making friends, and shaking up their weekly schedule. More than just having fun with the competition, we wanted to give viewers a sense of how important these playful types of activities are to building up our sense of belonging and purpose.