As children, we view our parents as the best ever — super-heroes with Herculean strength and Superman powers. In the twilight of their years, though, adult children dutifully accept the responsibility of making sure their parent heroes are taken care of in a comfortable, secure, safe environment; perhaps a nursing home or assisted living facility. Although this may seem like an easy task, it can be an ever-evolving maze down a deep rabbit hole with no return in sight.
Such disrespect for human dignity and predatory practices exposing the hidden elder abuse inside court-appointed guardianships is depicted in the heart-wrenching, sensitive short film “Fatal Negligence,” a passionate 20-minute drama written by, directed by, and starring Juliette Fairley and inspired by true events.
Fairley drops viewers into the depths of a broken system. The film follows Georgina Dillard (Fairley), a daughter who has been barred from seeing her father for weeks. Ben Dillard (Ajene D. Washington), a partially blind retired military veteran, has been placed under the guardianship of his girlfriend. Behind closed doors, he is being starved and denied the glaucoma medication that protects what remains of his sight. Desperate for answers, Georgina hires private investigator Larry Limine (Behzad Dabiri), who goes undercover and discovers that Ben’s isolation is no accident.
Christianity references a hell for some in an after-life, but unfortunately, many elders are currently living in a daily purgatory under this systemic problem. “I made this film because families are living through this right now, and most of them have no idea it is legal,” said Fairley. “I want people to become more aware, be more careful and involved with their family and relatives when it comes to such matters. A court can hand a stranger control of your parent’s money, medical care, and front door, and you can be turned away at the reception desk with no recourse. Georgina’s fight is the fight thousands of sons and daughters are having in probate courts across the country. I want audiences to leave angry enough to call their legislators.”
Currently on the film circuit after winning the 2026 Chain NYC Film Festival’s Signature Award for Best New Work, Fairley feels the award offers a little bit of justice but can never erase the pain and sorrow she and her father James E. Fairley endured. His guardianship case was argued and lost before the Texas Supreme Court in 2022. “[The film] does some justice for my father — he was a good man and shouldn’t have gone out like that,” she said. “I was unable to get him out of the guardianship before he died at 90 years old.”
James was an international jazz saxophonist in the military before he was trapped under an unconstitutional court-appointed guardianship in San Antonio, Texas. While in the U.S. Air Force, he was a member of the “All-Airmen” Tops in Blue variety show in 1956. The ensemble performed 190 showcases across 155 military bases throughout the U.S., Europe, North Africa, and Greenland, with two appearances on the legendary Ed Sullivan show. After being discharged from the service, Fairley continued performing while directing talent showcases.
“Fatal Negligence” is a visual vehicle to build public pressure for reform. It speaks for the many voices of exploited veterans and other victims of predatory guardianships nationwide. The film is a sincere, gut-grabbing drama worthy of an Academy Award in the Short Film category.
More information about this subject can be found with these links:
National Council on Aging, Get the Facts on Elder Abuse (ncoa.org)
National Council on Disability, Beyond Guardianship: Toward Alternatives That Promote Greater Self Determination (ncd.gov)
Jazzcultural (349 West 46th Street), the only NYC jazz club with three live performances seven nights per week, features the Mike Rodriguez Quintet, Oct. 16–18. The Grammy-winning trumpeter/composer will be joined by his skilled troops: tenor saxophonist John Ellis, pianist Gary Versace, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer E.J. Strickland.
Rodriguez has played with a variety of legendary artists, from Quincy Jones to Clark Terry, Joe Lovano, the Kenny Barron Quintet, Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side projects, pop icon Jessica Simpson, the Chico O’Farrill Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis and the JALC, the Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Herbie Hancock. Rodriguez leads a roaring group of like minds looking to take audiences into new dimensions, and will perform two shows each night, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The late-night sets, 10:30 p.m.–12 a.m. on Oct. 16–17, feature Carlos Abadie’s Latin Jazz Express with tenor saxophonist Peter Brainin, pianist Manuel Valera, bassist Raul Reyes, and drummer Pablo Bencid.
As a fixture on the New York City jazz scene for more than three decades, trumpeter, composer, and producer Abadie blends bebop, hard bop, and Afro-Cuban influences. This cross-cultural band with roots in Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela, all band leaders and composers in their own right, will bring a blend of Afro-Cuban-Latin jazz, Brazilian music, and sounds of NYC.
On Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. features Jam in the Cafe. The weekend also features Afternoon Jam in the Cafe at 2 p.m. For a complete schedule, visit jazzcultural.com.
Pianist, composer, and producer Orrin Evans is one of those rare artists who demands an audience to witness his latest creative thoughts transposed into musical notes, offering a new perspective from his last audience encounter. The Orrin Evans Quartet, unfortunately, ends its two-night engagement tonight, Oct. 15, at the Pocket (130 West 46th Street) with two shows, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
He will be joined by an intergenerational group of cats pursuing infinite possibilities: alto saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis, bassist Alex “Apoli” Ayala, and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. For reservations, visit thepocketnyc.com.
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” a must-see film about the true essence of Harlem, opens Oct. 16–22 at Film at Lincoln Center (70 Lincoln Center Plaza).
In 1972, legendary filmmaker William Greaves threw a party in Duke Ellington’s apartment, gathering an extraordinary group of artists, writers, poets, actors, musicians, and thinkers who were part of the Harlem Renaissance. With loose-limbed camerawork, he captured such hallowed figures as Richard Bruce Nugent, Aaron Douglas, Arna Bontemps, James Van Der Zee, and other legends in astonishingly beautiful color footage. Greaves created a living, breathing, one-of-a-kind document never seen by audiences in Greaves’s lifetime. Now, completed by the filmmaker’s son, David Greaves, “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” is a community portrait of the 1920s — the changing sociopolitical tides of the 1970s and a cultural celebration of the highest order. For film times, visit filmlinc.org.
