3rd Annual Frames of Mind Mental Health Film Festival

For more information on the festival, see the May + June Pacific Cinémathèque Program Guide,
or visit www.cinematheque.bc.ca/framesofmind

——— FILM BRIEFS ————

Keane
**Director in attendance!**
USA 2004. Director: Lodge Kerrigan. Cast: Damian Lewis, Amy Ryan, Abigail Breslin. Colour, 35mm. 93 mins.
We first meet William Keane in New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal, desperately searching for his 6-year-old daughter who was abducted there months before. Veering between days of relentless searching and nights of alcohol- and drug-induced extremes of self-destructive behaviour, Keane is essentially homeless, absolutely alone, living on disability, and borderline psychotic. Then one day he meets a financially strapped young woman, and her 7-year-old daughter. Keane reaches out to them and as he becomes increasingly attached to the child, the story moves to a whole new level of poignancy and tension, as Keane searches for redemption through the little girl.

preceded by

That Crazy Game Called Life
Canada 2004. Director: Annie Frenette. Colour, video. 5 mins.
An animated short that brings to life a comical dictionary on madness to debunk our misconceptions about mental illness.

Post-screening discussion with Keane director, Lodge Kerrigan. Moderated by Dr Harry Karlinsky

 

Braindamadj’d … Take II
Canada 2005. Producer: Jonathan Finklestein. Colour, DigiBeta. 52 mins.
Ten years ago, Montrealer Paul Nadler was a world traveler and bon vivant who enjoyed extreme sports, attractive women, and a fast-paced career as a television director for MusiquePlus. Then one day he was found comatose beside a road in Egypt, left for dead after a car accident. In hospital he was given a 5% chance of survival, and deemed unlikely to ever recover from T.B.I. — Traumatic Brain Injury. He was only 30. Seven weeks after the accident, Paul awoke from his coma — the first in a series of acts of defiance against doctors and therapists who said he’d never see, talk, walk, socialize or lead anything resembling a normal life.

preceded by

Tom Hits His Head
USA 2004. Director: Tom Putnam. Colour, Video. 11 mins.
Ever since Tom hit his head he’s been getting dizzy spells, indulging in eBay, and having conversations with the devil.

Post-screening discussion with Sol Mogerman, a registered clinical counsellor with a private practice in Victoria specializing in helping survivors of brain injury and trauma. Moderated by Bruce Saunders, the founder and producer of Victoria’s Movie Monday.

 

Grizzly Man
USA 2005. Director: Werner Herzog. Colour, 35mm. 103 mins.
Acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and “gonzo naturalist” Timothy Treadwell, who for 13 summers lived unarmed among the grizzly bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park. In October 2003, Treadwell’s remains and those of his girlfriend Amie were discovered near their campsite, victims of a bear attack. In telling this macabre story, Herzog relies considerably on Treadwell’s own startling documentary video footage and paints an unforgettable, nuanced portrait of this complex and compelling figure while exploring larger questions about the uneasy relationship between man and nature.

Post-screening discussion with Dr. Roland Atkinson, professor of psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Moderated by Caroline Coutts.

 

All Winter Without Fire (Tout un hiver sans feu)
Switzerland 2005. Director: Greg Zglinski. Cast: Aurélien Recoing, Marie Matheron, Gabriela Muskala, Blerim Gjoci. Colour, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 90 mins.
“Quite a masterpiece. Unquestionably the best Swiss feature in twenty years” (Le Temps). The muted winter landscapes of Switzerland’s Jura Mountains serve as the backdrop to the desperate silent tragedy of Jean and Laure, in unspeakable grief over the loss of their only child in a terrible fire. Laure is eventually hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic, Jean finds a job in a factory, where he meets a young Kosovar woman, a refugee still hoping for the return of a husband missing for six years. Jean is slowly drawn into her world, and a subtle kind of love, based upon a mutual desire to live again, sparks between them. But Laure is also regaining her strength, and begins to realize she may be losing the only person who really matters ….

Post-screening discussion with Ramon Kubicek, writer, teacher and artist. Moderated by Dr Harry Karlinsky.

 

I am a Sex Addict
USA 2005. Director: Caveh Zahedi. Cast: Caveh Zahedi, Rebecca Lord, Emily Morse, Amanda Henderson, Olia Natasha. Colour, DV Cam. 90 mins.
Caveh Zahedi turns self-confession into high art with this self-deprecating and often cringe-worthy troll through his own sexual obsessions. Zahedi plays “Caveh Zahedi,” a not-so-successful independent filmmaker whose major relationships have been derailed by his attraction to prostitutes — and, more to the point, his belief that he should be brutally honest about it with his girlfriends. Framed as a wedding-day confessional by Caveh, and shot during Zahedi’s real-life (third) wedding, the film chronicles our hero’s romantic past.

Post-screening discussion with Dr. Oliver Robinow and Dr. Alina Wydra. Dr. Robinow is a psychiatrist working as a consultant in the B.C. Centre for Sexual Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital. Dr. Wydra is a psychologist in private practice. Moderated by Dr Harry Karlinsky.

 

**Closing Gala/Fundraiser for the Kids Help Phone**
All ages welcome
Bluebird
Netherlands 2004. Director: Mijke de Jong. Cast: Elske Rotteveel, Kees Scholten, Elsie de Brauw, Jaap Spijkers, Bright O’Richards. Colour, 35mm, in Dutch with English subtitles. 80 mins
Winner — Glass Bear for Best Children’s Feature, 2005 Berlin Film Festival. A heartbreaking and quietly affecting film that explores the difficulties of a teenager who strives for acceptance despite being bullied. 13-year-old Merel is a kind-hearted, clever, tomboyish girl growing up in the port city of Rotterdam. Supported by a loving family, Merel enthusiastically embraces every part of her life, whether it be swimming, learning lines for the school play, or entertaining her handicapped younger brother. When she suddenly finds herself the object of some nasty bullying, Merel hides the problem from her parents and teachers, inventing excuses for her bruises or her demolished bicycle. Her home life begins to deteriorate, as does her schoolwork; further compounding things is the institutionalization of her adored brother.

preceded by

Bully Dance
Canada 2000. Director: Janet Perlman. Colour, Video. 11 mins.
In this lively animated short, an entire community is disrupted when a school bully begins victimizing a smaller child.

Introductory comments by Kathie Jagger, Regional Director, Kids Help Phone.
Post-screening discussion with Dr. Carl Rothschild, a child psychiatrist and Clinical Associate Professor with the UBC Dept of Psychiatry. Moderated by Dr Harry Karlinsky.

——— WORKSHOPS ————

“The Good, the Bad, and the Therapeutic: Portrayals of Mental Health Professionals in the Movies”
Public perceptions and expectations of mental health professionals may be powerfully shaped by depictions in movies. The quality and validity of such portrayals does matter. In fact, some film portrayals are authentic, while others are outrageously off the mark. This interactive workshop will use clips from a number of popular films — some recent, others remote — as examples of “good” and “bad” therapists at work. Ample opportunity will exist for attendees to express their own impressions of the therapists in these movies.

Workshop leader: Dr. Roland Atkinson, professor of psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

Introduced by Dr Endre Koritar, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and President, Western Branch Canadian Psychoanalytic Society

“The International Mental Health Volunteer: Opportunities, Risks and Benefits”
This workshop will focus on the risks and benefits of working as a mental health professional in areas of conflict. To begin the workshop, Don Wright from Amnesty International will screen film clips he has selected to illustrate the psychological traumas of those who live in areas of conflict as well as those who attempt to provide assistance. The workshop will be highly interactive, will include a panel discussion with involved experts, and will end with an opportunity to meet representatives from various organizations working in international health sectors relevant to mental health.

Moderated by Dr. Julia Raudzus, Psychiatry Resident, Dept of Psychiatry,UBC; Advocate for Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief.

Participating Organizations: Amnesty International; Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief; Centre for International Health, UBC; Médecins Sans Frontières; Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture; World Vision.