About the Film Makers
Trudy James produced this film in collaboration with Jennifer Jones. Together they created the original concept for the documentary film, Speaking of Dying, based on the end of life Workshop series Trudy had been pioneering for several years. Over a two year period they developed the project and made the film. Jennifer Jones served as the Director and the Videographer of the film. As Executive Producer, Trudy James named the film and raised over $80,000 to fund the film and website. Other film principals included, Catherine Wadley, Writer/Editor, Catherine Joy, Original Music Composer, Len Delorey and Scot Charles, Sound Design & Editing, and Scot Charles, Sound Mixing.
Trudy, a retired interfaith hospital chaplain, learned hands-on about death, dying and grief in her 50’s while creating a CareTeam program for faith-based volunteers in the early days of the AIDS epidemic in Arkansas. Her ground-breaking CareTeam work with AIDS was honored at the Clinton White House. Nine years later, Trudy created an AIDS Care Team program in Seattle and served as a chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Throughout her career, Trudy witnessed how being able to speak freely and openly about dying led to better deaths. Trudy is a regional resource on grief, death and dying and is on the Advisory Board for End of Life Washington.
Upon retirement, Trudy created Heartwork, a business with a vision to empower people to die well. She spent four years pioneering 4-session community-based end-of-life planning workshops. She then spent two years producing the 30-minute film, Speaking of Dying, which reflects the heart of those workshops. Trudy has personally trained Heartwork facilitators to carry on her vision.