2022 Festival Pics
In-Person Screenings
Location of In-Person Screenings
Skiptown Playhouse
665 North Heliotrope Drive
Los Angeles, California 90004
Skiptown Playhouse
665 North Heliotrope Drive
Los Angeles, California 90004
IN-PERSON SCREENING
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2022 Block A
10:30AM- 12:45PM (2HRS + 15MIN Q&A) LIFE CYCLE MY STORY OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE FACES AFTER SUICIDE LEAVING VIRGINVILLE Block B 12:45PM- 3:00PM (2HRS + 15MIN Q&A) ORCHESTRATING CHANGE FOR SALE NEURODIVERGENT Block C 3:00PM- 5:00PM (1hr, 45min + 15MIN Q&A) BREAKING THE SILENCE THE MORE WE GET TOGETHER AN ATHEIST’S GUIDE TO THE AFTERLIFE |
IN-PERSON SCREENING
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022 |
ONLINE BLOCK: Resiliency & Hope
Films about healing, empowerment and personal growth
In those moments of doubt and weakness, there may be feelings of inadequacy, as if you just can’t continue on, but with a positive outlook and even having faith as small as a mustard seed, one can turn what seems impossible into their wildest dreams! In this block are inspirational stories of hope, healing, empowerment and personal growth.
LIFE CYCLE
1 min. English/ United States Directed by Ondrea Barbe _______________ A moving and prismatic documentary about the Life Cycle of a moment; A Coming -of -Age Metamorphosis. Vignettes of past memories flash in front of a Father’s eyes as his daughter nervously attempts to ride a bike. |
LEAVING VIRGINVILLE
1 hr. 35 min. English/United States Directed by Melissa Whitely _______________ When 11 year old Faith's suicide attempt fails after the death of her father, she is convinced there is no God. By 18 she's rebelling against everything in her universe. |
NUMB
19 min. 30 sec. English/ United States Directed by Carlos Moreno Jr _______________ Lola can't get past the loss of her beloved Martin. At the risk of losing everything else - from her medical practice to her two young daughters - she continues to grieve. When, in her mind, everything is seemingly lost without him, all that's left for her to do is to go NUMB as life passes her on by. |
THEM'S THE RULES
20 min. 13 sec. English/ UK Directed by Hester Chillingworth _______________ A short film about lost connections. Them’s The Rules is a painful exploration of things that have been lost, which pushes to the edges of the new truth that often, the only way to see a loved one is on a screen. |
ONLINE BLOCK: Compassionate & Honest
Films that contribute compassionate and honest representation of people living with mental illness
Heart-warming and tear-jerking. In this block are stories full of compassion that show an honest portrayal of moments living with mental illness and the life experiences that come with depression, grief, addiction, anxiety, trauma, etc.
Ezra: May His Memory Be For a Blessing
1 hr. 10 min. 29 sec English/ United States Directed by Walter Schlomann _______________ As we unravel the story of Ezra’s life and death, we gain a heartfelt, personal, no-holds-barred insight into teenage suicide and surviving its aftermath. |
10-33
12 minutes English/ Canada Directed by Teryn Lawson _______________ A paramedic battles her demons when a traumatic work event takes over her life. |
I'M HERE
4 min. 44 sec. English/ United States Directed by Jennifer Hathaway _______________ Jenna, a thirteen year-old bullying victim, is brought to the brink after getting beat-up, and decides to end her life, but her Golden Retriever, Maizey, has other plans. |
MARA: THE SEAL WIFE
39 min. 59 sec. English, Scottish Gaelic/US Directed by Uisdean Murray _______________ After giving birth to their child on a beach during the dead of night Sine runs into the darkness leaving her husband Magnus in a state of anguish. Journeying into the past we discover the answers behind Sine’s behaviour and witness the harrowing events that brought her into the realm of the selkie, mythological creatures that take the form of seals known to shed their skin to reveal a human form. |
Night, Mother
1 hr. 4 min. English/ United States Directed by John Patrick Lowrie _______________ Exploring the concentric circles of isolation, grief, and suicide, this hybrid film is based on Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning plays that portrays a poignant and haunting picture of the current state of mental health care in America. |
ONLINE BLOCK: Diversity
Films with diverse characters or themes of diversity
This block presents characters that share a peek into their lives through the viewpoint of age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and cultural influences.
THE SECRET LIFE OF
TOM LIGHTFOOT 10 minutes English/United Kingdom Directed by Ray Jacobs _______________ Tom is anxious, he holds a secret in his human heart, a wing beat and a flutter and its bursting to take flight. The Secret Life of Tom Lightfoot is a tale of magical realism to be witnessed and shared. It is a tale of healing revealing how we can learn to live with the secrets of our more than human hearts. |
SAVING FAITH
14 min. 44 sec. English/ United States Directed by Randy Messersmith _______________ Bill, a crippled atheist and highly successful N.Y. stockbroker, is in attendance of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting after a recent car accident the night before while drinking and driving has injured an 8-year old girl and critically injured her father. He encounters a mysterious presence who catapults him down a rabbit hole of repressed memories, and regret. |
ORCHESTRATING CHANGE
1 hr. 25 min. 17 sec. English/US Directed by Margie Friedman & Barbara Multer-Wellin _______________ ORCHESTRATING CHANGE addresses many of the myths about mental illness by showing what living with a mental illness is really like—with both setbacks and accomplishments. The film challenges audiences to reconsider their preconceived notions about mental illness. For those living with a diagnosis, it is empowering. |
RESILIENCE
46 min. 43 sec. English, French/US Directed by Alyssa Kuzmarov _______________ Human, touching and real, this docu-fiction is based on the real life stories of 7 protagonists, aged 14-17, of diverse cultural backgrounds, living in different neighborhoods around Montreal, in English and in French, wrestle with isolation, bullying, confusion around sexual orientation and cultural identity, violence, confrontation with the law, rejection and abandonment. |
ONLINE BLOCK: Spreading Awareness
Films with insightful educational value or ignites a national discourse on mental health
Ready to become enlightened by the benefits and limitations of Psychology? This block offers intriguing stories that give insight into dynamics of therapy and the pursuit of mental health. These films offer exposure to people in unique situations and how they are affected psychologically and give critique on the availability of resources and its effectiveness.
IMPOSTER
3 min. 38 sec. English/United States Directed by Temima Shifteh _______________ A young girl struggles to go through mundane everyday tasks because of the whispering thoughts in her head which constantly berate her. |
BREAKING THE SILENCE
57 min. 54 sec. English/United States Directed by Dara Sanandaji & Freddie Bell _______________ Breaking the Silence is a fresh, new-look film dedicated to everyone around the world who suffers quietly and in the shadows - alone, worn out, and without hope. |
NO. 9
20 minutes English/United States Directed by Nate Reynolds _______________ A young woman experiences the five stages of grief when she learns that a close friend has taken his own life. Unable to make sense of the tragic event, she channels all of that grief into a memorial sculpture, for one final goodbye. |
An Atheist's Guide to the Afterlife
17 minutes English/United States Directed by Eric Frost-Barnes _______________ A man struggles with his abusive father's terminal illness and his father's new-found love of God. |
ONLINE BLOCK: Cinematically Captivating
Films with humor, creative freedom and high entertainment value
Lights! Camera! Action! Jump into the scene with these talented creatives. In this block, prepare to be entertained as you journey through charming original, funny, intense, and/or raw stories executed with stylistic directing and acting choices.
GROWING PAINS
3 min. 42 sec. English/United States Directed by Ruthie Harrison _______________ A young girl receives a suspicious seed and watches it grow as she grows too. Now she is older, and the plant has grown out of control. Its vines prevent her from leaving her room and living her life, leaving her feeling helpless. |
THE RENATA ROAD
2 hr. 1 min. 10 sec. English/United Kingdom Directed by Ed Greenberg _______________ An anonymous man arrives at the nightmarish Renata Hotel, with no memory of his identity or purpose. He must fight the escalating madness of the hotel’s denizens to save the girl, and solve the mystery of the Renata, and with it, the secret of his own identity. |
ONE MORE BITE
18 min. 41 sec. Chinese/United States Directed by Yaxing Lin _______________ Jiuming who suffers from eating disorders for years finds herself deeply trapped in an indecent love affair; While restraining her desire for food, she refused the irresistible love... |
ONLINE BLOCK: Screenplays
Screenplays that includes psychological themes, characters and/or storylines.
MAD
Screenplay | 120 Pages Written by Dr. Dathan Paterno _______________ A psychology intern risks his budding career to help a disturbed teenage girl discover the truth about her mental illness. |
NORMAL (PILOT EPISODE)
"EMERGENCY PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES" Screenplay | 59 Pages Written by Holly Scarabosio, Michael Miceli, & Chris Emmons _______________ NORMAL is about a young psychiatric nurse and her fiancée writer move from a small town outside of Milwaukie, to the center of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. Helena is not your ordinary everyday nurse, she is psychic, sometimes her visions leave her both mentally and physically scarred. |