electronic press kit - voicesvoicesdocumentary.com/electronicpresskit.pdf · !! synopsis!!...

www.VoicesDocumentary.com

Forgotten Films

presents

VOICES An Award-‐Winning Documentary About Human and Untold Stories of Mental Illness

“One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.” -‐ Mother Teresa


SYNOPSIS

Voices is an award-‐winning documentary that features the stark and intimate portraits of three very different individuals and their struggle with severe mental illness in America. The stories of Sharon, Thomas and Aaron illuminate the challenges, realities, and often complex emotions and choices that surround people with psychotic mental illness and those who love them. In turning the camera on these individuals and their families, the subtle power of Voices lies in the brutal honesty of families sharing their stories for the first time, unburdening themselves from the stigma of mental illness. As they search for answers they know they may never find, they expose the human back-‐story of the psychotic experience in a way never before captured on camera. The film takes a fresh approach, as families steer the narrative over rocky and deeply personal terrain. Without expert commentators deployed to “make sense” of what often does not, Voices allows people to tell their own stories, unmediated by statistics or authorities that imply answers. With this nuanced style, the film provocatively highlights the disjointed and decompensated behaviors that can result from serious mental illness, and its impact on society and the loved ones in its orbit. In these raw and sometimes jarring real life stories, outcomes are as varied as the people in them: Sharon is well cared for but institutionalized in a long-‐term care facility; Thomas lives on the street but is a beloved member of his community; and Aaron’s father is left wondering what could have prevented his son from committing the violent tragedy that eventually made national headlines. In each case, the questions of how to find the right treatment and the balance between autonomy and involuntary treatment provide a powerful subtext. Voices makes it clear that even when people with severe mental illness are surrounded by loving family, the choices can be tough, and public policies too often fall short of meeting the needs of either the individual or society.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Voices began as an idea during residency training for producers, Gary Tsai and Rachel Lapidus. As psychiatrists, they were discussing the powerful personal stories they were hearing every day, and the impact that they can have on addressing stigma in mental health. As the son of a mother with schizophrenia, Gary experienced the


demoralizing effects of stigma firsthand and wanted to find a way to translate his passion for advocacy to real societal change. After realizing that his childhood friend, Hiroshi Hara, was a filmmaker, he saw the foundation of a compelling documentary and Voices was born. The crew began a two-‐year process of connecting with a diverse group of individuals in the community in order to identify our potential cast. Talking to hundreds of people living on the streets and in care homes in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as a number of mental health advocates, they stumbled upon three remarkable stories, each bringing its own inspiring narrative to the film. Guided by the diverse skills of co-‐director, Hiroshi Hara, the filmmakers were able to maximize resources for their small project with a big mission. In Voices, the result is an unflinching insight into the often hidden and varied human experiences of psychosis. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT Although 25% of the population suffers from mental illness, stigma continues to be pervasive. This is especially true for the millions of Americans living with psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia. Oftentimes, they can be found homeless on the streets or hidden away in facilities, jails or homes, out of societal sight and mind. The consequences of this marginalization are devastating.

The inspiration for Voices comes from the belief that personal stories have the power to decrease the stigma commonly attached to those living with psychotic conditions. While stigma in mental health is at times addressed by focusing primarily on the positive, we believe that it is critical to tell a fuller story so that viewers do not leave with the black and white perception that those living with serious mental illness are either all-‐good or all-‐bad. Rather, stigma is weakened when the audience can view the mentally ill as the humans that they are, through the full spectrum of the emotional experience, with both strengths and flaws. As such, this film is about portraying this seemingly dichotomous concept through the compelling narratives of individuals and families living with psychotic conditions. Voices portrays human aspects of psychosis in a way that is often lost in traditional media and offers an extraordinary window into an experience that few others understand.


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THE FILMMAKERS Hiroshi Hara Director | Director of Photography | Editor

Hiroshi Hara is an award-‐winning filmmaker based in New York City whose work has been screened at film festivals around the world. He was raised in Los Angeles, where he first became engrossed by the power of images and storytelling after he was given his first mini-‐DV camera and started making short films and music videos with his friends. Since then, his passion for film has blossomed into a career, prompting his move from California to New York, where he is the creative director for Rusty Compass Productions and continues to write and direct today. Hiroshi’s work experience has included features, short films, music videos,

commercials, and television. He has worked with artists such as Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, as well as with Bravo networks, MTV, NBC, ABC, W Magazine, Condé Nast, Thomson Reuters, the American Red Cross, Pepsi Shorts and Doritos, among others. www.hiroshihara.com Gary Tsai Director | Producer Gary Tsai is a physician and filmmaker based in California who founded his independent production company, Forgotten Films in 2011. Focusing on socially relevant films and civic engagement, he is interested in shining a light on marginalized and underserved groups. His life changed after a family member was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Like millions of others in similar situations, he experienced the stigma and criminalization that commonly accompanies serious mental illness and emerged with a passion for advocacy and improving the lives of this vulnerable population. He believes that the powerful interplay between media and mental health can change hearts and minds. Voices is his first film and a culmination of these interests and life experiences.


Rachel Lapidus Co-‐Producer

Rachel Lapidus grew up in the Washington D.C. area where she routinely followed her family around with a camera, interviewing them at every family event. She has long been enamored with listening to and capturing unique stories and perspectives. As a Harvard-‐trained physician, she completed her psychiatric training at San Mateo County and wanted to merge her passion for film, storytelling and mental health, resulting in her collaboration on Voices.

Karthik Sivashanker Original Music Karthik Sivashanker is a Fulbright Scholar and music composer with an interest in the intersection between music and science. His music encompasses a wide variety of genres and mediums. Karthik has also always been interested in public health and spent a year doing HIV/AIDS research in Venezuela. He now lives in Boston after completing a fellowship in psychosomatic medicine. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

COMPLETE CREDITS

A Production by FORGOTTEN FILMS, LLC

Director / Director of Photography / Editor Producer / Director

Co-‐Producer Executive Producer

Music

Associate Producers Production Assistant

Story Consultant Sound Supervisor / Re-‐recording Mixer

Dialog Editor Sound Effects Editor

HIROSHI HARA GARY TSAI RACHEL LAPIDUS GARY TSAI KARTHIK SIVASHANKER / FRANCESCO D’ANDREA, SERGE ESSIAMBRE / PETER MCISAAC / DAN PHILLIPSON JASON CHENG / JOHN FURMAN / STUART HARRIS MARIAN TARBOX / COLE KAWAGUCHI SEAN CAMPBELL WILLIAM MCGUIGAN LEIF DAVIDSON KAELYN MOORE

Our sincere gratitude to those who made this film possible by sharing their stories and lives:

- Sharon Do - Thomas Marshall - Aaron Bassler - Tuan Bui

- Tam Do - James Bassler - Angela Ohlandt - Susan Johansen

- Michael Tarbox - Kirsten & Tom Diluzio - Justin Field

Special thanks: - American Psychiatric

Association & Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-‐ Minority Fellowship Program

- George Rush - Thari Tarbox

- Steve Morandi - Jim Hill - Jan von Hausen - Joane Pillard - Jody Becker - Erik Linthorst - Kim Nguyen - Tracy Tran

- Cindy Liang - Karen Tsai - Robert Wang - K.K. - Our generous Kickstarter

donors


CONTACT

Website www.VoicesDocumentary.com

Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/voicesdocumentary

Forgotten Films, LLC [email protected]

electronic press kit - voicesvoicesdocumentary.com/electronicpresskit.pdf · !! synopsis!!...

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