NO LETTING GO: The feature film I was fortunate to be the Post Production Supervisor and Consulting Producer on will have it's NYC Premier next month.
NYC Mental Health Film Festival
Fights Stigma, Challenges Audiences to Rethink Stereotypes
New York, NY: On September
26, 2015, the 11th Annual NYC Mental Health Film Festival (#MHFF)
will present six inspiring films about life with mental illness, including the U.S. premiere of the feature film No Letting Go, and the NYC premiere of
the Voice Award-winning documentary Cracking
Up. Filmmakers and cast members will
be in attendance for an audience Q&A.
As the oldest and largest mental health film
festival in the United States, #MHFF takes a bold stand in fighting the stigma
people with mental illness often face.
The festival has
screened more than 50 films, attracted over 5,000 audience members,
and served as a positive voice promoting social justice and human rights
for people with mental health concerns.
Says Carla Rabinowitz, festival organizer at
Community Access, “One in four people
in the United States lives with mental illness, yet society continues to
stigmatize mental health recipients as violent, weak or incapable, and in need
of constant medication. This film
festival shines a light on how mental health consumers and their families
employ humor, courage, and their natural gifts to make positive contributions,
earn respect, and counter preconceived ideas about mental illness.”
No Letting Go is among this year’s featured films. Says its producer Carina Rush: “I can't think of
a more perfect way to premier No Letting
Go than in our home state with the NYC #MHFF. We are thrilled to be part of such a
worthwhile and amazing event.”
FESTIVAL INFO:
WHEN: Saturday, September 26, 2015
Morning
Shorts: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon Features with Q&As: 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Village East Cinema
181-189 2nd Avenue & 12th Street
New York, NY
TICKETS: $25 to $60 (A limited number of $100 VIP
passes are available, and include a private reception with cast and producers
of No Letting Go & Cracking Up)
SCHEDULE:
US
PREMIERE: No Letting Go – Based on the
award-winning short Illness, this
feature-length film written, directed and produced by Jonathan Bucari, is based
on a true story and follows the journey of an American family faced with the
daunting challenge of finding answers and help for their middle child, who is
eventually diagnosed with a bipolar disorder.
Starring: Cheryl Allison, Richard Burgi (Desperate Housewives), and Noah
Silverman, and featuring Alysia Reiner (Orange
is the New Black), Kathy Najimy (Sister
Act), and Janet Hubert (Fresh Prince
of Bel Air). Filmmakers and cast members will be in attendance for audience Q&A.
NYC
PREMIERE: Cracking Up – Starring comedian
David Granirer and directed by Tara Shortt, this Voice Award-winning
documentary features naturally gifted people from all walks of life who happen
to be afflicted with mental illnesses. Through
the art of stand-up comedy, they learn to confront their demons and set out on
a journey of hope and possibility. David
Granirer will be in attendance for Q&A.
ABOUT COMMUNITY ACCESS
Community
Access’ mission is to expand opportunities for people living with mental health
concerns to recover from trauma and discrimination through affordable housing,
training, advocacy and healing-focused services. We are built upon the simple truth that
people are experts in their own lives.
Each year,
Community Access programs help over 10,000 New Yorkers who connect with the
organization for a home, a place to learn, and opportunities to reach their
potentials. A finalist in the 2014 New
York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards, Community Access runs NYC’s
first peer-operated support line (646-741-HOPE), a contact point for New
Yorkers experiencing emotional distress, as well as the city’s first crisis
respite center, a cost-effective alternative to hospitals, jails and
shelters. To learn more, visit www.communityaccess.org.
