‘Adolescence’ star Amelie Pease fronts ‘Dementia Doesn’t Care’ campaign

A moving new short film, Little Rock, comes out on 15 April. It highlights the impact on young families when a parent is diagnosed with young onset dementia.

Little Rock stars Adolescence’s Amelie Pease, Dune’s Neil Bell and Kate Hampson (Happy Valley, Emmerdale). It tells the story of Lana (Pease), a teenager trying to navigate life as her father’s memory fades (Bell). Through music, memory and the shifting roles within their family, the film captures the painful beauty of love that endures even when recognition begins to disappear.

New dementia awareness campaign

Little Rock marks the launch of ‘Dementia Doesn’t Care’. This is an awareness campaign highlighting the reality families face when dementia strikes decades earlier than expected.

Charity Younger People with Dementia is leading the campaign. It’s one of very few organisations in the UK providing specialist support for people under the age of 65 living with the condition.

More than 70,000 people in the UK live with the condition. And with diagnosis taking up to 4.4 years on average, the need for dedicated support has never been greater. Dementia Doesn’t Care will highlight the experiences of families and the role of support services. These include children’s group sessions, young adult carers’ groups and practical workshops that act as lifelines to those families affected.

Produced by Lobster, Little Rock was written and directed by Nick Tree, the multi award winning director. He spent weeks listening to the experiences of children and young people living with a parent with dementia to create this powerful work.

Tree says:

As a father and a son, these stories broke my heart. I wanted to capture their truth with absolute integrity. Little Rock shows that dementia doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed, it reshapes entire families and can steal parts of childhood too.

Inspired by real-life experiences of families affected by young onset dementia, the film invites audiences to confront a reality many have never considered.

Amy Pagan, marketing, fundraising & social media lead for Younger People with Dementia says:

We’re incredibly grateful to Nick, Amelie, Neil and Kate for creating Little Rock and the powerful role it plays in bringing this campaign to life. Too often, the realities of young onset dementia, particularly its impact on children and families, go unseen and misunderstood.

This film captures those experiences with real honesty and care, and we hope it will help more people understand the challenges families face, while encouraging greater awareness, empathy and support in a truly meaningful way.

Through regular contact, shared experiences, and ongoing advice, Younger People with Dementia connects families facing similar challenges and provides the emotional and practical support needed to make an incredibly difficult situation more manageable.

Featured image via Younger People with Dementia

By The Canary

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