Reel mind - fall 2022 program

 Documentary - 93 minutes – USA - 2021
Directer / Producer / Cinematographer: Margaret Byrne
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/541810754 

In 2015, in the midst of widespread defunding of community mental health care programs across the country, in Chicago, the Cook County Jail has become a default treatment center for people living with mental illness.

While investigating the treatment of detainees, filmmaker Margaret Byrne befriends Angela, Dimitar and Daniel, participants in a mental health court probation program. Their friendship gives each of them the courage to be seen at their most vulnerable as protagonists in this film. In turn, Margaret begins to confront one of the most difficult periods of her life, culminating in a hospitalization for depression.

What begins as a heartfelt desire to accurately portray the lives of Angela, Dimitar and Daniel, forces Margaret to reckon with her own history of mental illness. Margaret’s own hospitalization that occurs during the making of the film, becomes an inspiration to weave her own story into the film. Byrne’s intimate observations of the three, captures the hard-fought triumphs and struggles of living at the intersection of mental illness, poverty, and addiction.

Filmed over five years, their stories expose a system designed for punishment, yet used as a replacement for mental health care. The absence of support takes a toll on family members and friends whom Angela, Dimitar and Daniel provide for and depend on. The resulting stigma and isolation keep them caught in cycles of victory and defeat.

Any Given Day provides deeply personal insight into the necessity of caring relationships, especially when life is at its most difficult.

Talkback with Special Guests: 

• Robert L. Weisman, D.O.
  Dr. Weisman is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. 
• Margaret Byrne
  Filmmaker

 Theater Play - 100 minutes – USA
Writer/Performer: Adina Taubman
Director: Padraic Lillis
Sound designer: Nina Field 

 adinataubman.com, chrysalistheatrecompany.com 

The Road Back is the very personal story of Adina Taubman’s journey into and out of a severe depression 12 years ago. With humor and honesty, she tells the story of the experience that transformed her life for the better and led her down a road of discovery to a new, more enlightened sense of self. This entertaining and courageous new play includes helpful strategies for managing depression and anxiety that will inspire anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health.

Adina Taubman and Padraic Lillis previously collaborated on A Line in the Sand, which was awarded Outstanding Production of a Solo Show at both the Midtown International and Planet Connections Theatre Festivals. The show was also awarded the Pulitzer Award for Excellence in Writing and the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence in Acting at the PortFringe Festival and the Best Stage Play Award at the Moondance International Film Festival.

Talkback with Special Guests: 

• Dr Ann EZ Griepp 

Program Director of a new Psychiatric Residency

at Rochester General Hospital.

• Adina Taubman 

Writer/Performer

• Padraic Lillis 

Director 

 Documentary – 52 minutes – Australia - 2021
A Film by: Damon Smith and Adam Coad
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcKNWDFu4hA 

Damon Smith has estimated that he has spent around 50,000 hours of his life, so far, participating in absurd ritualistic behaviors associated with his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). With the help of his anxious friend, Adam Coad, these Australian singer-songwriters share, through original music, preposterous humor, and outlandish animations, the intricate and debilitating nature of what it is like to live and talk about mental illness in a world where it’s ok to talk about a broken arm, but not ok to talk about a broken mind.

Mental As Everything is supported by Regional Arts Victoria and RISE Funding through the Australian Federal Government.

Talkback with Special Guests: 

• Dr. Lauren Wadsworth 

Founder and director of the Genesee Valley Psychology (GVP), a social justice oriented clinic providing evidence-based treatment to the Rochester, NY area specializing in OCD, trauma, and DBT. 

• Larry Guttmacher  

One of the founders of Reel Mind. He is an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Humanities at the University of Rochester. 

 Documentary – 95 minutes – USA - 2021
A film by: Jack Youngelson
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8t51pshLg0 

HERE. IS. BETTER. chronicles the stories of four service men and women, whose grit, smarts, and perseverance are on full display as they allow cameras to witness their most deeply personal, inevitably tense, raw, and honest therapy sessions in real-time. The film seeks to bring understanding to how the human mind responds to trauma, to what a diagnosis of PTSD means, and how PTSD can impact daily life, far removed from a military setting. The film does not seek to be prescriptive, but rather illustrates how the right fit of trauma therapies and other beneficial modalities can transform darkness into light for these veterans who gave so much but came home with little understanding of what happened to them while serving their country.

While veterans are more than twice as likely to have PTSD than civilians, the root causes of PTSD are wide-ranging. What needs to be understood is that trauma comes in all forms, including the impact of sexual or physical assault, natural disasters, abuse, exposure to violence, serious health issues, or the death of a loved one. Seemingly unexceptional events can adversely affect people in different professions, from frontline medical workers to EMS to grocery store clerks to delivery couriers. This film is meant to help veterans who have experienced trauma, but also to help audiences who may be experiencing the aftermath of any devastating event and have no idea where or how to find a path forward. As the world still grapples with the collective trauma of the pandemic, the need for effective mental health treatment — free from stigma — is more important than ever.

HERE. IS. BETTER. illustrates how the seemingly impossible mission to heal may become possible as John, Teresa, Jason, and Tabitha choose to face each day with the bravery to seek help and the hope of what help can bring.

Talkback with Special Guests:

• Ellen Poleshuck, Ph.D. 

Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics/Gynecology and Academic Chief of the Division of Collaborative Care and Wellness at the University of Rochester Medical Center. 

• Carolyn Albu. 

US veteran. Carolyn was featured in the film. 

•  Chloe Hall 

The Film Producer