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National Council on Aging logo. We believe every person deserves to age well. That’s why we’re on a path to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030.

Sian-Pierre Regis

Sian-Pierre is a NCOA Board Member, a filmmaker, and an award-nominated director of the documentary Duty Free—a documentary that uncovers the economic insecurity that's shaping the future for his 75 year-old immigrant mother, and that of an entire generation.
Sian-Pierre Regis

Sian-Pierre Regis is a filmmaker who directed, produced and self-distributed his debut feature documentary "Duty Free". In his film, Regis follows the story of his 75 year-old immigrant mother who gets fired without cause from her lifelong job as a hotel housekeeper. From there, he takes her on a bucket-list adventure to reclaim her life. As Regis' mother struggles to find work, he documents a journey that uncovers the economic insecurity shaping not only her future, but that of an entire generation.

Released in 30 theaters over Mother's Day 2021, Duty Free was a press magnet garnering coverage from CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, MSNBC, The Tamron Hall Show, and AARP. The film was also a No. 1 Apple News story through the weekend. It was nominated for a prestigious IDA award in the Writing category.

Prior to filmmaking, Regis was a journalist and on-camera contributor to CNN, HLN, and MTV and founded Swagger, an online lifestyle magazine for millennials with over 1.5 million fans.

In 2018, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Colgate University.

Regis is also both a Firelight Documentary Lab Fellow and a Film Independent Documentary Lab Fellow.

Why We Do This Work

We believe aging well is something every American deserves–regardless of gender, color, sexuality, income, or ZIP code.

How We Made an Impact in FY24 

Impact & Equity Report

Download our FY24 Impact and Equity Report and learn how we’re building a society where every person has the resources they deserve to age well. 

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