Screentalk: Plainfield Public Library Event Focuses on Mental Health

PLAINFIELD, NJ — The Queen City Film & Television Workshop Screentalk event at the Plainfield Public Library on Saturday, May 18th showed three short films that focused on mental health during National Mental Health Month, which is in May. This event was free and open to the public.

“The opening event went very well. We had a great turnout, and the audience was thoroughly immersed in the films' stories as well as the panel discussion, which was informative, heartfelt, and quite emotional at times,” said Sarah Hull, Head of the Local History Department at the library.

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The three films shown were from different perspectives telling the stories of individuals impacted by mental health issues and the devastating effects that it can have if left unchecked. They were:

"Cries of Toronto" by Ash N Neal, is a short film that depicts a young girl's feelings of loneliness as she takes a solo trip to Canada.

"East River Story" by Bruce Gorman, is a short film about a disgraced Wall Street banker contemplating suicide at the East River. He strikes up a conversation with a homeless man and the two spend the night reflecting on their lives. On the cusp of sunrise, the two men face certain truths about themselves that will change their lives forever.

“Alone, A Poetry" by Jamal Hodge is about a man who dreams under a tree about the painful aftermath of his abandonment.

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“Mental health affects just about every aspect of our lives and the library is happy to be a venue for the community to learn and discuss the different aspects of it,” Hull said. “Films are a powerful tool to evoke discussion and we commend the Queen City Film & Television Workshop for putting this program together."

Lamar David Mackson, Chairman of the Union County Motion Picture and Television Advisory Board said he hopes the Screentalk NJ series will open up dialogue for the community.

"The purpose of these Screentalk events is to provide information to the community and offer opportunities to network," Mackson said.

Mental Health has seen more attention in recent years and according to studies published by Forbes magazine, $1 trillion is lost in productivity each year with youth between the ages of 18-25 reporting the highest rate of mental health concerns. People identifying as LGBTQA+ are twice as likely to experience mental health issues as heterosexuals and 86% of LGBTQA+ youth report being harassed or bullied at school, significantly impacting their mental health.

Despite this prevalence of mental health issues, only about half of those needing help receive treatment.

Part of this is due to the stigma some communities have regarding mental health. Director Jamal Hodge said the African-American community in particular is sometimes reluctant to get help when a mental health problem occurs.

"Black people overall are the most traumatized and experience the most murders and that impacts their mental health," Hodge said.  "It is important to seek treatment when mental health comes up and we have to take away the stigma associated with this."

Diandre Marie led a panel discussion with the three directors of the films touching on the issues of mental health and responding to questions from the audience.

Marie is a self-taught videographer, cinematographer, and content creator. The highly anticipated season 2 of her project "Imposter Syndrome" is coming out this fall. Her work has also been featured in the Lesbionyx blog, the Newark International Film Festival, the Mental Health Film Festival, and the Queen City Film Festival.

The next episode of SCREENTALK NJ will take place at the Plainfield Public Library on Saturday, June 8th from 12-2 pm in the Anne Louise Davis Room, details to be announced.

In addition to the Screentalk NJ events, the organization is hosting the 7th Annual Queen City Film Festival Oct 18-20, 2024. Independent films will be shown at the Cinemark theatre in Watchung. For more information go to https://www.qcffnj.com .

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