World Premiere of 10 short films about Black Mental Health and/or Immigrant Mental Health

Jun 15, 2021 at 10:06 am by Staff


Art With Impact is premiering 10 new, five minute films that address mental health in Black and/or Immigrant communities at VOICES WITH IMPACT 2021, an online festival for films and ideas around underrepresented topics related to mental health, June 21-25, 2021. Registration is OPEN and FREE to the public, and you can save your spot at artwithimpact.org.

After over a year of racial reckoning, awareness has grown among the general public that we need more BPOC (Black, People of Color) stories about mental health. Voices With Impact (VWI) is an ongoing program run by nonprofit Art With Impact. Filmmakers worldwide submit proposals to tell stories about underrepresented narratives related to mental health, and our distinguished jury members select the most robust ideas from the group. Each year, ten filmmaking teams are awarded production grants to support the creation of their short films.

This year, the topics form the 10 five-minute short films are Mental health issues specific to Black people and/or mental health issues related to immigration experiences.

The world premiere of these films will take place on June 21, 2021, and will be followed by a week-long festival of dialogue and discussion in which our storytellers will lead interactive, enlightening sessions exploring topics related to mental health in marginalized communities.

Over 150 filmmaking teams submitted proposals for this year's Voices With Impact program, our most competitive cycle ever. The people who demonstrated the artistic vision, creative might, and organizational skills to create memorable short films on a tight budget and in a short time.

The films to be premiered are, by topic:

Immigration and Mental Health:

  • Nanay by Thea Loo
  • Could Have, Should Have by Ziyao Liu
  • Rompiendo Olas by Adàn Àvalos
  • Fish by Emilie Cheung
  • Frozen Out by Hao Zhou

Black Mental Health

  • Still We Thrive by Campbell X
  • Wholeness by Jameelah Nuriddin
  • Be•long by Sideah Alladice

Films about Black and Immigrant mental health

  • Esther and Sai by Rosie Pidcock
  • On the Surface by Fan Sissoko

Led by the filmmakers, the week-long festival following the premieres will feature interactive seminars and engaging discussions related to the films and the themes we are exploring through this year's program. If you are interested in learning about these sessions and participating in these critical conversations, you can register to attend using the links below.

Our sponsors include The Mental Health Service Oversight and Accountability Commission; The American Psychiatric Association Foundation; Better Health; California Institute of Contemporary Arts; AB Korkor Foundation for Mental Health; The Charles E. Kubly Foundation; The Health Forward Foundation and Sista Afya Community Mental Wellness.

Filmmaker bios: https://artwithimpact.org/voices-with-impact/2020-21/people/

Festival schedule: https://www.artwithimpact.org/voices-with-impact/2020-21/#sessions

Contact Cary McQueen, cary@artwithimpact.org, for private advance screening of the films.

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