Tea tells the story of her childhood which included a life-threatening illness that necessitated open heart and brain surgeries all before the age of ten. The trauma of these events led to debilitating depression in high school, including forced admission to a psychiatric hospital. Tea’s film SURVIVING intimately recounts these events while revealing her own personal battle to slay the demons that threatened her will to live.
LABELED explores the process of stereotyping and the ways in which pre-conceptions impact how people see each other. Using connections to her own faith community in Colorado Springs, including her youth pastor, a Hip Hop Christian dance company and a local tattoo parlor, Hadassah created a lively and vibrant portrayal of Christians who don’t always fit the stereotypes. LABELED is an unexpected and multi-dimensional account of a diverse cross section of believers.
Josh’s parents emigrated from China to Colorado in order to have a second child (in response to China’s one-child policy). Josh was raised navigating two cultures: his traditional Chinese background and an American way of life, often observing the differences and dissonances between the two. In his film LOVE ME, Josh candidly questions the ways in which he was raised, including intense pressures to succeed. In doing so, he poses questions about how young people can find self love and true passions while negotiating societal expectations.
Every day 76 year old Fred Nelson carries a weathered board into Prospect Park, places it underneath a tunnel, laces up his tap shoes and begins to dance. This is Fred’s daily prayer. Fred dances to forge a divine connection and in watching him dance, we join him in his daily journey to find the secret joy and beauty of life in an old piece of wood.
Mindy Alper is a tortured and brilliant 56 year old artist who is represented by one of Los Angeles’ top galleries. Acute anxiety, mental disorder and devastating depression have caused her to be committed to mental institutions undergo electro shock therapy and survive a 10 year period without the ability to speak. Her hyper self awareness has allowed her to produce a lifelong body of work that expresses her emotional state with powerful psychological precision. Through interviews, reenactments, the building of an eight and a half foot papier-mache’ bust of her beloved psychiatrist, and examining drawings made from the time she was a child, we learn how she has emerged from darkness and isolation to a life that includes love, trust and support.
Holding History tells the story of Charles L. Blockson’s lifelong journey to unearth and preserve the history, culture, and contributions of people of African descent.
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