Believe Psychology FIlm Festival 2021 Program Guide

Block: Shorts under 30min (74 Films)

All of the short films under 30mins nominated in the festival

Sprout
Lizard Brain
Across the Andes
Blue Eyes
ALLY 3000
The Boy Who Thought He Could Fly
Cede to Reality
SHARDS
Ovals: I Dont Want to Love Myself
Brightside
The Fish Don't Care When It Rains
Metanoia
Bet Check or Raise
The Tent
The Corner of Chaos and Serenity
TALK
Admitted
Exposed To The Light
First Step
The Bright Side of Darkness
Vs.
After You
Lousy
Waiting For Time
MUTED
Second Parent
52 - A Tale of Loneliness
Incent City
The In-Between
Dementia spots
Can Anyone Answer?
Inhale, Exhale, Draw
Mitta Has Been Masking
How To Quit
SENIOR DISCOUNTed
Mr. Theme Music
Bathtub Chronicles

The WHAT IS LOVE?
Everfall
Follow My Brain | with Cam Webster
Empty Windows
La Manie de Mathilde
KEEP MUM
Deepfake Therapy
STRUNG
Quarantine
Hungry Ghosts
POLES
Almost There
AN EVENING GAME
Shevolution
The Interview
Waiting For Nicko
Juxtaposition
Trapped (A mental health story)
Pneuma
SHARP
The Gay Epidemicun•bind
The New Mother
Mind Breaking
8 Weeks to Happy
When I Become Who I am
Double Black
Checkups
Shadows
The Need for Common Sense Critical Thinking
Withdrawls
Take Me With You
Her Cold Hands
S.O.B.E.R. - DWI Courts and the Transformation from Addiction to Recovery
UNDER THE SAME SKY
NOT YET MIDNIGHT
THE PANDEMIC ARTIST

Block: Documentaries (35 Films)

All of the documentaries nominated in the festival

The Pandemic Artist
NOT YET MIDNIGHT
Under the Same Sky
S.O.B.E.R.- DWI Courts and and the Transformation from Addiction to Recovery
Love Bound
The Wisdom of Trauma
When I become who I am
I Had to Change: The Story of Jermaine Williams
8 Weeks to Happy
Children of Disease
SHARP
"SINCE THAT DAY"
I Learned it From You: S1.E1
Deepfake therapy
F.E.A.R.: Face Everything and Rise
Follow My Brain | with Cam
"Steve"- Saving men from suicide

Voices from the Invisible
Nurture with Nature, A Story of Ecotherapy
Made in America
Exposed to the Light
Across the Andes
The Kaleidoscope Guy at the Market
Inhale, Exhale, Draw
Plaits
Yoga Therapy for Life
Relationships
When All That's Left is Love
Black Girl, Bleu
What Lies Inside
The Fish Don't Care When It Rains
Lens Flare: Trauma in Journalism
Together-Alone (A series of four cinematic portraits)
Lousy
Psychiatrist as Patient: Caring for the Caregiver

Block: Resiliency & Hope (21 Films)

Stories of healing, empowerment & personal growth

Sprout
3min, 15sec
2020/ USA
Directed by Georgina Cahill

When a young girl finds a flower growing in her apartment complex, her world is changed forever. Her dull, lonely life blossoms as she and the flower grow together.

S.O.B.E.R. -DWI Courts and the Transformation from
Addiction to Recovery
21min, 50sec
English/ USA
Directed by Justin Jarett

S.O.B.E.R. DWI Courts and the Transformation from Addiction to Recovery is a film that chronicles how one court decided to take a different approach to the problem.

STRUNG
17min, 24sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Joseph Bezenek & Ryan H. Reid

Lost in the forest of his own mind, Eric must rely on the survival skills of an enigmatic nine-year-old boy to help him battle vicious withdrawals and self-deprivation to catalyze change within his family's cycle of addiction.

I Had To Change: The Story of
Jermaine J. Williams
1hr, 22min, 58sec
2021/ English/ USA
Directed by Jermaine J. Williams

The story of Jermaine William's battle with addiction.

POLES
31min
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Bo Apostolache and Rich Bella

A film based on the experiences of a father and husband battling BIPOLAR DISORDER. It explains in painful detail, the struggle not only for the sufferer, but also the impact on family, friends and co-workers.

Voices From the Invisible
5min
English/ USA
Directed by Miriam Revesz

A auto-biographical narrative of one woman's journey managing her mental health.

8 Weeks to Happy
12min, 39sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Kallie Swider

Kallie has suffered from treatment resistant depression for fourteen years. Out of options and sick of dead ends she decides to seek an alternative therapy in the heart of the French Quarter, New Orleans through Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Black Girl, Bleu
30min, 22sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Sharee Silerio

A safe space where Black women reveal their struggles with mental health, including how the "Strong Black Woman" stereotype impacts their mental wellness and healing.

Fentanyl Madness
55min, 33sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Steve Hamm

This film is a call to action against stigma and in favor of proven treatments--including methadone and buprenorphine. Unfortunately, much of what many people think they know about opioids is wrong.

Shevolution
16min,58sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Seidy Lopez

Millie, a recovering alcoholic-addict, falls in love and marries Cillian, another alcoholic-addict with bipolar disorder. When Cillian relapses and becomes abusive, Millie is faced with the hardest decision: Who will she save - the man she loves or herself?

Deepfake Therapy
24min, 9sec
2020/ Dutch/ Netherlands
Directed by Roshan Nejal

This documentary shows the very first experiment ever done in the process of grief in which bereaved family members are having an artificial video conversation with their deceased loved ones through the use of new digital techniques and under the guidance of a renowned grief therapist.

Incent City
8min, 4sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by David Du

A boy rethinks commiting suicide with a journey through the magical city of Incent City.

The Bright Side of Darkness
15min, 8sec
2019
Directed by Jack Savage

As newlyweds Robert and Cynthia reminisce about their romantic beginnings something seems... amiss. Re-living the past isn't enough, but before they can move into the present they must confront a dark and painful truth.

What Lies Inside
2hrs, 08min
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Luke A. Renner

Replete with interviews from a variety of survivors and trauma experts, this film weaves a tapestry of discovery that is as vivid as it is engaging.

Lens Flares: Trauma in Journalism
1hr, 29min, 31sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Timothy Kiley

Journalists are on the front lines when tragedy and disaster strike. They deal with trauma and drama on a regular basis. This project explores how Journalists should deal with the build up of trauma and what happens if they don’t.

“Steve” - Saving men from suicide.
1hr, 30min
English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Ben Akers

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. 12 men a day. 1 every 2 hours. This film explores why that is happening.

The Fish Don't Care When It Rains
4min, 50sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Jennifer Msumba

With humor and heart, autistic artist Jen Msumba demonstrates what the simple life of a fish can teach us about accepting our circumstances.

The Pandemic Artist
6min, 24sec
2021/ English/ USA
Directed by Bob Belinoff

During the lockdown a man searches for art and seeks to make sense of the world - without leaving the house.

“SINCE THAT DAY…”
1hr, 8sec
2021/ Croatian/ Croatia
Directed by Slavica Šnur

This film examines the loss of a child, and what it means to remember them as individuals.

52 - A Tale of Loneliness
4min, 31sec
Directed by Johnny DePalma

Far beneath the beautiful sea, a unique whale sings a song that is all his own.

The Telling Tale
5min
2020/ USA
Directed by Laura Lewis-Barr

A King and Queen struggle to help their daughter who has a mysterious illness. Based on an old folk-tale.

The Kaleidoscope Guy at the Market
21min
2020/English/USA
Directed by Russell Brown

This 20-minute documentary uses his personal narrative to delve into a deeper dialogue about these fascinating objects and their universal appeal to the human imagination.

Block: Compassionate & Honest (39 Films)

Stories that contribute compassionate and honest representation of people living with mental illness

Waiting For Time
15min, 30sec
English/ United Kingdom
Directed by The Bashford Twins

When a solitary socially dysfunctional man loses his first love, he determinedly clings to the hope of his partner’s return and the memories of her.

MUTED
11min, 11sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Brendan Bald

Clyde’s personified anxiety & depression haunts him as he struggles to regain control of his life and ask out the woman of his dreams. His troubles dissipate with every positive step he takes BUT will his negative self talk ever fully be MUTED?

The Corner of Chaos and Serenity
19min, 2sec
2020/ English/ Canada
Directed by Derek Rucas

The relationship between a social media influencer and an aspiring filmmaker comes to a boiling point, before one pushes the other over the edge.

The Boy Who Thought He Could Fly
16min, 30sec
2019/ English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Emma Pitt

A young boy grieving the loss of his Mother convinces himself he can fly.

ANOTHER DAY
12min, 49sec
2020/ English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Stuart Black & Satinder Gill

A short film about loss and denial.

Take Me With You
23min, 25sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Gary Memi

Love, loss, and tenderness set against a suburban backdrop on a summer day. A close-knit group reunites to say goodbye to one of their own. While they’ve come together for this singular purpose, it’s hard to keep the baggage at bay.

Double Black
12min, 31sec
Directed by Andy Kirkman

Michael's suicide attempt is interrupted by his reckless and impulsive right-wing friend Gaz, who drags Michael against his will on a death-defying mountainbike trail ride.

un•bind
11min, 43sec
2020/ English /USA
Directed by Daryl Sledge

When Jacinth’s best friend/roommate Romero suddenly dies, he (Jacinth) delves into a state of deep grief and refuses to accept the outcome.

Deepfake Therapy
24min, 09sec
2020/ Dutch/ Netherlands
Directed by Roshan Nejal

This documentary shows the very first experiment ever done in the process of grief in which bereaved family members are having an artificial video conversation with their deceased loved ones through the use of new digital techniques and under the guidance of a renowned grief therapist.

Everfall
8min, 58sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Ashton Avila

A short film exploring grief. Lola & Ethan, trapped in a dream world, must face a recent tragedy that threatens to tear them apart forever.

The Bright Side of Darkness
15min, 08sec
2019
Directed by Jack Savage

As newlyweds Robert and Cynthia reminisce about their romantic beginnings something seems... amiss. Re-living the past isn't enough, but before they can move into the present they must confront a dark and painful truth.

The In-Between
16min, 21sec
2018/ English/ USA
Directed by Diana Abousaleh

Isabel, 17, recently lost her best friend. That tragedy, combined with a messy home life, prompts her to jump in front of a bus. The In-Between follows a conversation between a woman and Isabel, as the woman inquires about the Isabel's life in order to understand what motivated the teenager to kill herself.

Incent City
8min, 4sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by David Du

A boy rethinks commiting suicide with a journey through the magical city of Incent City.

After You
11min, 6sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Brendon Wilson

First Step
13min, 26sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Paul Odgren

A young man attends a support group for suicide loss survivors and doesn't take it seriously. Over time, the group turns out to be more affecting than he thought.

Across the Andes
25min
2019/ Swedish/ Sweden
Directed by Henrik Dahlbring

Seven years after their father's suicide, siblings Anna and Henrik Dahlbring meet to discuss their father and his impact on their lives.

Brightside
14min, 47sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Julia Levanne & Myhraliza Aala

Following a college student who fears asking for help due to cultural expectations

TALK
3min, 21sec
2020/ English/ Canada
Directed by Andrew Merrigan

Despite the connectivity of modern technology, a young woman struggles to ask for help.

Lousy
14min, 27sec
2020/ USA
Directed by Frank Silverstein

My parents' dementia has shaken and shattered their lives, and the life of our family. The painful humor and raw emotion of their situation is heard and seen through their own words, and through the eyes of their 2 adult sons, who are also their caretakers.

Juxtaposition
23min
2020
Directed by Alex Nero

A short film about the health issues of OCD ( obsessive compulsive disorder). How it affects a persons life and how he came out.

Voices From the Invisible
5min
English/ USA
Directed by Miriam Revesz

A auto-biographical narrative of one woman's journey managing her mental health.

Cede to Reality
8min, 41sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Colin Madaus & Samson Race Dorfman

An aloof and confident Orion (Samson Race Dorfman) is not phased by the seemingly distant issues of the world, until they start to become real. Orion finds himself succumbed to a reality that only he could imagine when he begins to learn about the fears surrounding him.

Lizard Brain
9min, 56sec
2020/ USA
Directed by Jon Ebeling

The extent of Jon’s mental health issues are magnified when an ex comes back into his life.

NOT YET MIDNIGHT
17min, 5sec
2020/ English/ Ireland
Directed by Cathriona Slammon

One woman's inspirational story of overcoming a childhood of abuse, neglect and violence.

Why My Mom
20min
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Rashod Harris

A documentary of answering life’s unanswered question. This process of Healing is a story of two generations of brokenness and their story of restoration.

Blue Eyes
08min, 18sec
2020/ English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Peter Gould

One day during a routine journey a young woman jumps in front of her train, killing herself instantly. The driver of the train traumatized.

SHARDS
8min
2019/ English/ Canada
Directed by Elena Gorgevska

Following a sexual assault, a woman struggles to overcome the inner demons that now plague her from the attack. Through self-degradation, deprecation, and depression, viewers experience how detrimental being a victim of sexual assault truly is. With perseverance and unwillingness to give up, the woman, prevails and conquers the tragedy and only grows stronger from it.

Mind Breaking
9min, 42sec
2021/ English/ USA
Directed by Michael Scott Hemenway

A teenage boy's environment slowly unravels due to early-onset schizophrenia while he's babysitting two children in their home one evening.

Follow My Brain | with Cam Webster
13min,13sec
2020/ English/ Canada
Directed by Robyn Thomas, Naomi Devine, Tamara Plush

What would you do if one day you could no longer trust your reality – especially as a young boxer? For Cam Webster, it was a punch in the gut. But like any good fighter, he gets back up again.

Hungry Ghosts
17min, 48sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Mark Borkowski

Frank Duffy searches for his missing wife who has relapsed on heroin and disappeared.

Shevolution
16min, 58sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Seidy Lopez

Millie, a recovering alcoholic-addict, falls in love and marries Cillian, another alcoholic-addict with bipolar disorder. When Cillian relapses and becomes abusive, Millie is faced with the hardest decision: Who will she save - the man she loves or herself?

Bet Check or Raise
14 min, 47sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Anonymous

BET CHECK OR RAISE is a character study, buddy movie, and courthouse crime drama all wrapped up in one. This is a movie made by addicts, for addicts, and for those who can relate to the struggle and believe that we can prevail.

Metanoia
26min, 59sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Ashley De Grandy

After exiting a rehab program, a hopeful young woman discovers that there is more to sobriety than kicking your addictions. Her narcissistic mother and socialite boyfriend turn her recovery into an arduous process, while a flame from the past sheds light on a new way of life.

Almost There
12min, 59sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Ken Klein

A Dad, on his way to pick up his daughters from school, finds himself besieged by increasingly greater obstacles that threaten to keep him from his destination.

Dementia spots
9min, 50sec
2020/ Hungarian/ Hungary
Directed by Ildikó Gaál

Scenes from the life of a man with demenia.

Block: Diversity (25 Films)

Stories with diverse characters or themes of diversity

BLOCK
44min,10sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Monica O'Hara

In a fit to detach herself from an imaginary cinder block, Kit O’Brien comes out of the closet.

Mitta Has Been Masking
2min, 37sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Darby Bailey

An experiment in processing identity, autism diagnosis and psychosis, through film.

When I become who I am
9min, 39sec
2020/ Danish/ Denmark
Directed by Lene Kamm

A personal story about growing up as a black woman in Denmark lacking identification models. A story about loneliness and searching for belonging.

F.E.A.R: Face Everything And Rise
1hr, 2min, 53sec
2020/ English/ Canada
Directed by Manny Bains & Serge Velbovets

"Cultural expectations” and “values” can often clash with our innermost desires. Many women today feel caught between what has been conditioned into them by their family, culture or society and their own dreams and aspirations.

Ovals: I Dont Want to Love Myself
20min
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by DC Saxton

Will is a young filmmaker suffering from a new bout of writer's block. He looks for creative clarity through the one woman in his dating life, Natasha. Throughout Ovals: I DON’T WANT TO LOVE MYSELF we find how Will’s mind works in relation to his surrounding world, how it affects his relationships.

The New Mother
12min, 22sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Eleva Singleton

Exploring the stages of grief/acceptance/understanding/and new beginnings in this suspenseful psychological silent film.

When All That’s Left is Love
1hr, 17min, 24sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Eric Gordon

The film reveals the toll that the disease takes on families coping with Alzheimer's, while also showcasing the power of love that sustains both patients and caregivers.

Plaits
1hr, 15min, 37sec
2019/ Portuguese/ Brazil
Directed by Livia Sampaio

The struggle of a Brazilian grandmother to regain contact with her argentine granddaughter.

SENIOR DISCOUNTed
29min, 30sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Jay Pennington & Gerry Olert

A man struggles with the stigma of reaching an older age and how society treats that age bracket.

I Learned It From You - S1.E1
37min
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Kevin Douglas Wright

Motional stories from real-life people, powerful Action Steps, and intriguing guided questions, help us discover better ways to understand racism, anti-racism, diversity, inclusion, black lives matter, and all lives matter.

Shojon – Theorem
3min, 35sec
2020/ English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Craig Heathcote

The Theorem Music Video is set in the heart of an out of sync London, displaying relationship bonds and the variations of love that exist within each. with the themes of family, feminism, and LGBTQ displaying ideologies congruent with the culture of today.

Relationships
53min, 21sec
2021/ Chinese & English
Directed by Mu-Ming Tsai

“Relationships” is a documentary on modern romantic, family, self, living and tech relationships; exploring cross-cultural differences, social and technological impact.

un•bind
11min, 43sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Daryl Sledge

When Jacinth’s best friend/roommate Romero suddenly dies, he (Jacinth) delves into a state of deep grief and refuses to accept the outcome.

I Had To Change: The Story of
Jermaine J. Williams
1hr, 22min, 58sec
2021/ English/ USA
Directed by Jermaine J. Williams

The story of Jermaine William's battle with addiction.

Trapped (A mental health story)
3min, 20sec
2020/ USA
Directed by Jarrel Cudjoe

A man explores his intrapsychic self in therapy.

ALLY 3000
4min, 22sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Giovannie Espiritu

The CEO of a tech firm has to make a decision about a new product designed to alleviate white guilt.

Brightside
14min, 47sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Julia Levanne & Myhraliza Aala

Brightside is a 14+ minute, drama/coming of age, narrative short. The film follows Nikola, a college student and the eldest of two daughters in a traditional Filipino family, who is dealing with her suicidal father, while combating her own depression.

UNDER THE SAME SKY
14min
2021
Directed by Alison Chace

Women around the globe share wisdom in a global pandemic.

WHAT IS LOVE?
15min,1sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Tisa Key

A former playboy looking to settle down for the first time, only to come to the realization that his girlfriend has a questionable past.

In Search of a White Identity
30min, 53sec
2020/ English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Victoria Evaristo

Detained in the same police cell having been arrested at the same protest, two men are forced to face the complexity of their upbringing.

The Gay Epidemic
13min, 41sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Karine Bagoumian

Based on a true story. A Southern Evangelical high school service tries to tackle the topic of gay people. Little does the male leadership know there is a gay right below their feet.

Second Parent
14min, 10sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Penny Pin-jung Chen

Kat recently assumes the role of stay-at-home mom when her wife Julia returns to work three years after giving birth to their daughter, Becca. Kat is hurt and frustrated that no matter how hard she tries, Becca still prefers Julia over her. Her anxiety only deepens when her brother, Dylan, who's also Becca's sperm donor, travels from Asia to visit them for Becca's fourth birthday party.

Made In America
57min
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Kevin Bryce

Made In America explores the trauma of war; domestic and abroad.

Summer in Hindsight
54min,15sec
2020/ USA
Directed by Khitam Jabr

A journey by a young musician navigating a pandemic in the United States of America during the summer of 2020.

Block: Spreading Awareness (18 Films)

Stories with insightful educational value or ignites a national discourse on mental health

Together-Alone (A series of
four cinematic portraits)
40min
2020/ English
Directed by Dorith Mous

Together-Alone is a series of cinematic portraits of people navigating through mental health challenges, who open up about their experiences along the way.

The Need for Common Sense
Critical Thinking
23min, 00sec
2021/ English/ USA
Directed by Alan Chriest

Her Cold Hands
5min,14sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Matthew McKee

"Her Cold Hands" is a music video with a mission to raise awareness of suicidality

Psyched! -Pilot
28min, 19sec
2021/ English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Anca Vaida and Voichita Judele

Psyched!' is a medical drama based on psychiatry. It follows the day to day lives of the staff and patients from the Community Mental Health Team.

SHARP
28min, 58sec
2020/ Dutch/ Netherlands
Directed by Sander Ligthart

One day, 11-year-old Vince pulls a knife and threatens his classmates and teacher. Slowly the cause becomes clear: father abuses his wife severely.

Nurture with Nature, A Story of Ecotherapy
19min
2020/ USA
Directed by Tanya Stadelmann and Dorothy Ibes

Nurture with Nature takes a timely look at an effective, affordable, and side-effect free approach to addressing some of the biggest concerns of our modern era: climate change, rising mental health problems, and digital addiction.

The Wisdom of Trauma
1hr, 28min
2021/ English/ Canada
Directed by Maurizio Benazzo and Zaya Benazzo

Dr. Maté gives us a new vision: a trauma-informed society in which parents, teachers, physicians, policy-makers and legal personnel are not concerned with fixing behaviors, making diagnoses, suppressing symptoms and judging, but seek instead to understand the sources from which troubling behaviors and diseases spring in the wounded human soul.

Yoga Therapy for Life
42min, 42sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Deanna Schultz

Rajashree Choudhury, renowned yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist, grew up in India seeing first-hand how yoga therapy is used as a non-drug alternative to pain.

S.O.B.E.R. -DWI Courts and the Transformation from Addiction to Recovery
21min, 50sec
English/ USA
Directed by Justin Jarett

S.O.B.E.R. DWI Courts and the Transformation from Addiction to Recovery is a film that chronicles how one court decided to take a different approach to the problem

admitted
15min
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Nathan Caywood

A dark comedy that sheds light via first person perspective on the stigma surrounding mental health.

Voices From the Invisible
5min
English/ USA
Directed by Miriam Revesz

A auto-biographical narrative of one woman's journey managing her mental health.

Psychiatrist as Patient: Caring for the Caregiver
11min, 28sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Stephanie Choriatis

“Psychiatrist As Patient: Caring for the Caregiver” is a riveting story that sheds light on one doctor’s mental health journey from secrecy and sickness to health and hope.

Love Bound
52min
2021/ Danish/ Denmark
Directed by Vibe Mogensen

Through ten intensive group therapy sessions, we meet 5 parents to mentally ill children. One out of ten in Denmark suffers from mental illness and it is the most common health condition of them all. Yet, due to the taboo and stigmatisation of mental illness, it is still under prioritized and as a result the welfare system is pushed to its limits. The care of the mentally ill instead falls upon relatives, most often parents and they become the lifeline and primary carer. When a family member gets sick it affects everyone in that family and especially those who love them.

Children of Disease
1hr, 47min, 14sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Madison VanDerLinde

Feature length documentary telling the stories of healthy children who grow up with chronically ill parents.

Block: Cinematically Captivating (34 Films)

Stories with humor, creative freedom and high entertainment value

Waiting For Nicko
19min, 30sec
2020/ English/ United Kingdom
Directed Howard Perry

Contemporary Thriller. Nicko is late. Is he too late?

Empty Windows
14min
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Andrew Rosenstein and Joseph Rosenstein

A little boy with schizophrenia, miraculously survives a murder suicide attempt at the hands of his mother.

The Need for Common Sense
Critical Thinking
23min
2021/ English/ USA
Directed by Alan Chriest

Can Anyone Answer?
19min,12sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Robert Wolter Frank

A group of intergalactic explorers sets out on a mission to find their lost ancestors and find themselves stuck on an unidentified planet inhabited by zombies.

Redefinitions (n.):
8min, 58sec
2020
Directed by Rob Simmons

Experimental film exploring social anxiety and self concept.

Pneuma
6min, 54sec
2020/ Israel
Directed by Eyal

Pneuma is a Video art artwork that takes its viewers along an enigmatic voyage through uncharted territory using the four stages of perception and sensation

Summer in Hindsight
54min, 15sec
2020
Directed by Khitam Jabr

A journey by a young musician navigating a pandemic in the United States of America during the summer of 2020.

Inhale, Exhale, Draw
3min, 47sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Cynthia White

Crumbling under the weight of chronic anxiety and depression, an artist and scholar cannot find reward in his many successes.

Breathing Through
3min, 39sec
2020/ English
Directed by Stan Adard

An exciting VR experimental short film about the journeying of consciousness from birth, through the stages of life, into rebirth.

Alice and the Land that Wonders
1hr, 40min, 46sec
2020/ Italian/ Italian
Directed by Giulia Grandinetti

Alice is about to turn eighteen, but isn't ready to grow. A wish of hope to all the souls who choose life instead of suicide.

Mitta Has Been Masking
2min, 37sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Darby Bailey

An experiment in processing identity, autism diagnosis and psychosis, through film.

The New Mother
12min, 22sec
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Eleva Singleton

The New Mother is a 12 minute short experimental drama which explores the delicate paradigm shift between an aging mother and her adult daughter who becomes her caregiver... We explore the stages of grief/acceptance/understanding/and new beginnings in this suspenseful psychological silent film.

Quarantine
5min, 16sec
Italy
Directed by Luigi Rotondo

How do you react to the fear of the imponderable?
How can creativity and imagination help us and our children to interpret what is happening to us towards a positive and productive change? A family of Videomakers gets to work during the global pandemic to create a small parallel world made of amazement, of sweetness, of play.
A surreal world that helps us to discover and tell the metamorphosis that is taking place in many of us. A project carried out at home involving the family to make sense of the passing time and to share creative processes with their children. An unpublished experiment to share with the rest of the world a vision in which #andratuttobene.

Mr. Theme Music
19min, 05sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Jason Land

A struggling musician, trying to build his business of playing theme music for your day, gets hired by the wrong client.

Shadows
25min,16sec
2021
Directed by Tayeb Al-Hafez

The film "Shadows" presents the story of a young couple displaced by war. A strenuous journey leads them to a new home, where they are haunted by the trauma and terror of war and displacement.

Checkups
3min, 10sec
2021/ English/ USA
Directed by Will Pulier

A routine checkup for the young man goes beyond the doctor's specialty.

Trapped (A mental health story)
3min, 20sec
2020/ USA
Directed by Jarrel Cudjoe

A man explores his intrapsychic self in therapy.

Bathtub Chronicles
28min,13sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Rebecca Ruhm

Arriving home from the mental hospital, still broken from being raped by an ex, Robby begins a wild healing journey with her therapist to reconnect with herself, her parents and current boyfriend.

How To Quit
12min, 22sec
2020/ English/ Australia
Directed by Liviu Monsted

Lionel really wants to quit his job, but his journey for freedom hits many walls and only through a cruel reality check can he learn what really matters.

Search Engines
1hr, 35min
2016/ English/ USA
Directed by Russell Brown

Sanity and relationships are put to the test when mysterious circumstances force a family to survive the annual American Thanksgiving holiday without their cell phones.

The Tent
11min, 34sec
2020/ Spanish/ Nicaragua
Directed by Gabriel Traversari

A psychological experiment where the courage of the victim lies in his ability to confront his aggressors and to search for a glimmer of light and hope amidst the darkness of his apparent suffering.

KEEP MUM
14min, 59sec
English/ United Kingdom
Directed by Luana Di Pasquale

The psyche of a mother pushed beyond the limits of sanity is explored...

Withdrawals
12min, 01sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Jorja Hudson

Four friends quit their antidepressants together and all experience very different side effects.

admitted
15min
2019/ English/ USA
Directed by Nathan Caywood

A dark comedy that sheds light via first person perspective on the stigma surrounding mental health.

Vs.
20min
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by West Liang

Acing eviction with no prospect of employment, Luisa wants to spend her rainy evening alone. But when she finds an old friend knocking on her door, Luisa's night becomes a lesson for her life.

Exposed To The Light
13min, 42sec
2020/ English/ USA
Directed by Reginald Groff

A New England portrait photographer photographs a woman to capture a time in her life when depression and personal issues have stripped away all but a dim light.

Lizard Brain
09min, 56sec
2020/ USA
Directed by Jon Ebeling

The extent of Jon’s mental health issues are magnified when an ex comes back into his life.

52 - A Tale of Loneliness
4min, 31 sec
Directed by Johnny DePalma

Far beneath the beautiful sea, a unique whale sings a song that is all his own.

An Evening Game
3min
2020/Russian/France
Directed by George Keburiya

Every evening, Sally plays games with her friend who is the cause of her life slowly falling apart. The short film is vaguely based on Daniel Kayes novel, "The Fifth Sally".

Screenplays (5 Scripts)

Scripts written that explore themes of psychology.

Ghost Ride the Vic
106 pgs

A rookie cop suffering from PTSD discovers that his patrol car is haunted by the Ghost of a slain police officer.

About the Author
Pisarno D'Amico

Attended film school in 2005, worked on indie features Around June and Presque Isle, a plethora of other student projects in the Bay Area, and wrote and produced 3 shorts and and a short doc. Joined the Oakland Police Dept in 2007, and wrote Ghost Ride the Vic, my third feature script, after the idea was seeded by job exposure.

Wildflower Honey
118 pgs

Love and life transform from fiction to reality when a playboy, romance novelist meets a lit professor struggling with Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder (DPDR). The women fall in love and for once, the professor perceives the world as “real.” That is until the writer’s secret comes to light and throws the professor into a derealization episode. Can the novelist write a book to bring her lover back from psychological fiction?

About the Author
Alana Saab

Alana Saab is a published literary writer and award winning screenwriter who writes about profound relations of love, desperation and confusion: from one person to another, from the psyche to the body, from humans to a higher power. She is Co-Founder of Enlivenment, a multimedia production company, where she works as a story and script consultant. Most days, she can be found amongst the grey of Manhattan sipping on honey water.

A Son's Gift
97 pgs

Guided by the spirit of her deceased son, a bereaved mother is empowered to redefine her role as her mother’s care giver as well as her future role as a death shaman and grief warrior.
This profoundly moving true story depicts that of a single mother’s life-changing journey of loss, trauma, and an unexpected career path prompted by the untimely death of her son. Adapted from the book, A Journey of Unconditional Love.

About the Author
Michelle Bell

More than just an intuitive writer, death shaman and life teacher, Michele sees herself as a walking companion and guide on the inevitable path that we must all undertake at some point in our lives: the path to acceptance that a loved one is no longer with us. The foundational belief that fuels her work is that grief does not destroy us but, rather, it redefines who we are, giving our lives new meaning and intention every day.

Jeremy's World
92 pgs

A young man hiding from the violence of the world believes that he has a supernatural protector willing to do whatever is necessary to protect him; unfortunately, he isn’t certain if the protector is supernatural or only in his mind.

About the Author
Carlos Perez

Carlos Perez has an M.A. in English from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (a professional writing degree in playwriting and screenwriting) and a B.F.A. in Speech and Theatre from Avila University.

Good Luck Chuck
118 pgs

A man that hates his life and is close to death has to learn how to be happy again, before it is too late.

About the Author
Peter Pastuszek

Peter Pastuszek was born in Poland in 1986. He moved to Germany at a young age and lives there ever since. If he´s not working in his 40 hours job, he pursues his dream of becoming an author. Peter has created numerous movies scripts or tv series / sitcom scripts over the last decade.