
Wisdom Gone Wild Screening and Panel Discussion
As part of Detroit PBS’ yearlong caregiving initiative, the station, in partnership with the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, the Asian American Journalists Association – Michigan Chapter, and Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation invites you to an evening of film, conversation and community.
This event is a co-presentation with
.
Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Location: Screening Room in the Michigan Theater
603 East Liberty St., Ann Arbor, MI
Our ability to create memories and hold on to them not only shapes our identity but informs the relationships between us and the people we hold dear. For elders in our communities who are living with dementia, the loss of those memories and the personal histories they share with families and loved ones can present many challenges in their lives as well as for those who care for them.
We invite you to join us for a screening of filmmaker Rea Tajiri’s documentary “Wisdom Gone Wild.”
“Wisdom Gone Wild” is a vibrant tender cine-poem, in which filmmaker Tajiri collaborates with her second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) mother as they confront the painful curious reality of living in the shadows of dementia. Made over the course of 16 years, the film blends humor and sadness in an encounter between mother and daughter, which blooms into an affectionate portrait of love, care and a relationship transformed. A post-screening panel discussion will follow including the filmmaker and additional panelists in the fields of caregiving and dementia health.
Admission is free. Everybody is welcome.
Rea Tajiri is a Philadelphia-based documentary filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist, whose critically acclaimed career spans over 35 years. Poetic, subtly layered and politically engaged, her work advances the exploration of forgotten histories, multi-generational memory, landscape and the lives of Nikkei. Tajiri is a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, 2025 USA Artist Fellow and Professor in the Film Media Arts Department at Temple University where she teaches documentary filmmaking.
Peggy Du is the Executive Director and Accounting Manager of the Association of Chinese Americans (ACA), where she leads initiatives that foster cultural understanding, advocate for community needs, and strengthen culturally responsive social services. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Global Leadership from Cleary University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Wayne State University.
A dedicated community leader, Peggy was recognized as a "Game Changer" during the 2022 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, and Comerica Bank for her impactful contributions. In April 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed her as a Commissioner of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC), where she works to elevate and empower AAPI communities across Michigan. Her leadership and service were further recognized with her selection to the Oakland County 40 Under 40 Class of 2024.
In 2025, Peggy received the Shelton Tappes Community Service Award for outstanding community leadership, commitment, and dedication to the success of Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA) programs. Her work places a strong emphasis on aging, caregiving, and family support within the AAPI community, addressing cultural barriers, language access, and the often-unseen challenges faced by immigrant caregivers.
Peggy’s passion for community engagement and advocacy continues to drive her efforts to create meaningful and lasting change.
Shaista S Kazmi founded Apna Ghar LLC, the first care giving agency in Michigan providing care to seniors for the south Asian community. In 2023, Sukoon Care LLC acquired Apna Ghar. Shaista continues to support Sukoon’s Care’s purpose of offering quality care at affordable prices so our loved ones could age-in-place with dignity and respect.
Mrs. Kazmi has trained women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, recent refugees and women who are victims of domestic violence to become nursing aides and home health aides in the community.
Shaista Kazmi holds a BA degree from Michigan State University in English literature and a post-baccalaureate from Harvard in medical sciences. She attended Kigezi International School of Medicine in Uganda with emphasis on practicing medicine in underserved countries and war-torn areas. She served as a clinical research assistant in neurosciences at providence hospital.
Mrs. Kazmi has been an invited guest on many podcasts featured in multiple magazines and most recently an interview with the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS).
Dr. Tanav Popli is a neurologist specializing in cognitive and behavioral neurology, with a particular focus on neurodegenerative disease. His clinical and research interests center on focal cognitive dysfunction, especially neurodegenerative speech and language disorders. His current research explores the functional network basis of focal neurodegenerative dysfunction, including the neural correlates of speech and language function, the use of structural and functional neuroimaging as predictive diagnostic and outcome tools in neurodegenerative dementias, and non-pharmacologic approaches to enhancing cognitive and language function, such as impairment-oriented behavioral therapies and non-invasive brain stimulation methods.
Bill has produced, written, directed and lensed local, regional and national documentaries for broadcast since the 1980s. His national projects include co-producing the Dupont Columbia Journalism award-winning “Beyond the Light Switch” series for Detroit PBS.
He directed the PBS documentary “The Ethanol Effect” for Detroit PBS. With his production company KDN Films, he directed “Lustron: The House America’s Been Waiting For” working with Ohio State University Public Television and the primetime national network broadcast of “Most Honorable Son” presented by PBS and NET Nebraska.
His work has also appeared on PBS News Hour, ABC News, CBS News and ESPN. He’s worked as a producer, photographer, on-air reporter and news assignment manager for television stations in Lansing, Flint and Detroit. He’s currently working on short films looking at the major issues facing Detroit.
CAREGIVING AND DETROIT PBS
This screening and panel discussion for “Wisdom Gone Wild” is a signature event in Detroit PBS’ yearlong initiative on Caregiving, made possible by grants from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and AARP Michigan.


