For the past ten years, The Reel Mind series has been
fighting the stigma of mental illness with empowering stories of advocacy and
psychiatric wellness told through film, live theater, and art.
Beginning
this week and continuing through June 26, Reel Mind has been a labor of love
for founders Dr. Larry Guttmacher, Clinical Director
of the Rochester Psychiatric Center, and co-producer Ruth Cowing, who joined
forces with former JCC Artistic Director Herb Katz to create the event series.
Drawing on their collective personal and professional experience with issues
surrounding mental health, Reel Mind was born out of their shared desire to
educate the public about the realities of living with mental illness and
further the message that recovery is possible.
A
community-wide event seemed an ideal way to break through the isolation felt by
many who suffer with mental illness and prove to them that they’re not alone.
The unique ability of film to generate a sense of empathy in viewers made it
the perfect medium to help educate the public.
As the
search for films began, the team decided early that they weren’t interested in
what Guttmacher calls “survivor’s stories” — films
that dwell on the hardship and injustice faced by those suffering with mental
illness. While those films can be powerful tools, the team behind Reel Mind
were much more interested in sending a message of hope: that while recovery is
often a lifelong process, a happy and fulfilling life is within reach.
“It was very
important from the beginning that these not be depressing films,” Cowing says. “We
don’t people to walk into a film and leave feeling worse. We want them to see
stories of people who had gone through a journey, worked through it, and come
out the other side.”
Though the
series began by screening a mix of narrative and documentary films, it
gradually shifted to focus almost exclusively on nonfiction films. “We found
that there’s something about documentaries — where you’re watching a real
person — that’s feels so much more authentic,” Cowing says. “And especially if
that person can then be present after the film’s over, there’s an emotional
connection that’s formed with the person up there on screen.”
Reel Mind
will kick off on Tuesday, May 8, with a program of short films, featuring
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” winner of the Academy Award for Best
Documentary Short earlier this year. The evening’s events also include an art
show at the Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Avenue).
The feature
films being screened this year cover a wide spectrum of subjects, and include
the Western New York premiere of “Deej” on May 22,
which focuses on a young man with autism whose passion for filmmaking and
poetry offers him a means to communicate; the powerful “Alive Inside” on June
5, documenting the restorative effect of music therapy on patients with
Alzheimer’s; the award-winning “God Knows Where I Am” on June 19; and “Suicide:
The Ripple Effect” on June 26, which documents the journey of director Kevin
Hines, transitioning from his own suicide attempt to a career as a mental
health advocate. Those films will all show at the Cinema Theatre (957 South
Clinton Avenue).
Also on the
docket this year is a live stage reading of “Depression: The Musical,” a work
by Herb Katz chronicling his lifelong battle with depression through stories,
jokes, and song. That reading is on Tuesday, May 15, 7 p.m. at the JCC, and will
be followed by a Q&A with Katz and performer Ralph Meranto.
Each
screening is followed by a panel discussion, some with the filmmakers and — whenever
possible — the subjects themselves. The panels always include a facilitator
from a local mental health organization, providing them the opportunity to
speak about their organization and the resources they provide. The discussions
generated by the films can often be the most important and rewarding part of
the evening.
“Rochester is amazing in terms of mental health services
offered here; we’re very, very lucky, but not everyone knows it,” Cowing says. “So
it’s an opportunity for these organizations to get their message out.”
Whether
those who attend Reel Mind have a personal connection to mental illness, or are
simply lovers of film, their participation helps to break down barriers and
create an environment conducive to healing. That receptive atmosphere is
crucial, Guttmacher says, in sending a message that
“recovery is possible, that there is hope, and that the support of friends,
family, and community is vital.”
Series
tickets to The Reel Mind are $35; individual tickets are $8 ($10 for the
“Depression: The Musical” stage reading). More details can be found at
reelmindfilmfest.org.
This article appears in May 2-8, 2018.
