In Search of Memory (DVD), Icarus Films, Documentary

IN SEARCH OF MEMORY is a blend of history and autobiography that recounts the life and work of Eric Kandel, one of the 20th-century's most significant neuroscientists. "Memory is everything. Without it we are nothing," says Kandel, winner of the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research on the physiology of the brain's storage of memories. As Kandel explains in the film-adapted from his own best-selling book of the same name (winner of a 2006 Los Angeles Times Book award)-memory is the glue that binds our mental life together and provides a sense of continuity in our lives. "Kandel is one of science's greatest treasures," wrote Scientific American Mind, "and [director Petra] Seeger does a masterful job at encapsulating both his brilliance and his captivating spirit." in addition to archival footage and dramatic re-creations of Kandel's childhood experiences in Nazi-occupied Vienna and his formative years as an emigrant in New York, the film features discussions with Kandel, friends and family, as well as his public lectures in Vienna and New York, which explore both his professional and personal life, especially his emotional ties to Judaism. IN SEARCH OF MEMORY reveals how all of our experiences change our brains, and even our genetic make-up, and can determine the focus of a life's work.