Date & Time
11:30am EST - 7:30pm EST
About This Event
Each year, Vinfen uses the power of film to raise awareness, foster important dialogue, and fight against the discrimination and stigma so often faced by people with mental health conditions and disabilities.
On Saturday, March 15, Vinfen’s signature event returns to GBH Studios in Brighton, featuring screenings of feature-length and short films, as well as panel discussions with filmmakers, human services professionals, and individuals with lived experience. Following the films, festival guests can mix and mingle at an evening reception.
Seating is limited, please consider purchasing early
Complimentary refreshments (popcorn, water) will be provided, and snack options will be available for purchase from an onsite vendor.
Free parking (validated on site at GBH) will be available at the Guest Street Garage (15 Guest St., Boston) ONLY.
Additional event details TBA, including panel line-ups, and more. Please note: schedule and panel participants subject to change.
About This Event
Each year, Vinfen uses the power of film to raise awareness, foster important dialogue, and fight against the discrimination and stigma so often faced by people with mental health conditions and disabilities.
On Saturday, March 15, Vinfen’s signature event returns to GBH Studios in Brighton, featuring screenings of feature-length and short films, as well as panel discussions with filmmakers, human services professionals, and individuals with lived experience. Following the films, festival guests can mix and mingle at an evening reception.
Seating is limited, please consider purchasing early
Complimentary refreshments (popcorn, water) will be provided, and snack options will be available for purchase from an onsite vendor.
Free parking (validated on site at GBH) will be available at the Guest Street Garage (15 Guest St., Boston) ONLY.
Additional event details TBA, including panel line-ups, and more. Please note: schedule and panel participants subject to change.
Continuing Education Credits
Applications are being submitted with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), The Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association (MaMHCA), and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services/LADC Unit to provide four (4) Continuing Education (CE) credits.
Films
Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh (Feature Film)
Massachusetts-born comedian Gary Gulman offers candid reflections on his struggles with depression, interspersing stand-up comedy and documentary interludes that provide insight into his mental health journey.
*Trailer below
Being Michelle (Feature Film)
An award-winning feature-length documentary film about a deaf woman living with autism and mental health challenges who survived incarceration and abuse, and who now uses her artwork to depict the trauma she survived and heal from her past.
*Trailer below
The Ride Ahead (Feature Film)
Like many 21-year-olds, Samuel Habib wants to date, leave home, and go to college. But he drives a 350-pound wheelchair, uses a communication device, and can have a seizure at any moment. Determined to find his path forward, he seeks out guidance from America's most rebellious disability activists. Will they empower him to launch the bold adult life he craves?
*Trailer below
Roads to Recovery (Short Film)
Substance use disorder is embedded in nearly every New England community. Roads to Recovery - Overdose and Brain Injury looks at one of the lesser-known effects of overdose - anoxic brain injury. Through the personal stories of survivors of overdose, the film looks at what happens to the brain during and after an event and how it can affect treatment and recovery.
Vince: The Punctual Vagrant (Short Film)
Sarah Falkiner‘s short drama offers a raw exploration of urban homelessness through the lens of Vince (Mike Green) and his makeshift family of fellow homeless individuals, George (Arch Harmon) and Cindy (Adria Dawn). The narrative delves into their daily struggles, highlighting the lack of societal support and respect they receive and the barriers they face in living with mental health challenges and addiction.
*Trailer below
Jelly Brain (Short Film)
Following a devastating traumatic brain injury, Debra was thrown into a new twisted reality she did not understand. Through the unwavering love of her family, Debra will attempt to accept the implications of her injury, search for hope and unearth a new her as a person and a mother.
Feature Film Trailers
Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh
Being Michelle
The Ride Ahead
Shorts Trailers
Vince: The Punctual Vagrant
Getting There
GBH Studios
1 Guest St
Boston, Massachusetts 02135
United States
Free parking (validated on site at GBH) will be available at the Guest Street Garage (15 Guest St., Boston) ONLY.
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Date & Time
11:30am EST - 7:30pm EST
Schedule of Events
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Registration
12:45 PM
- Welcome and opening remarks from Vinfen President & CEO Jean Yang and Donna Danielewski of WGBH
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Feature Film: Being Michelle, followed by panel discussion, in the Calderwood Studio
Short Films: Roads to Recovery, Vince: The Punctual Vagrant, and Jelly Brain, followed by panel discussion, in the Yawkey Theater
- Sandy Schultz, LICSW, Vice President of Specialized Services for Vinfen, and Princess Alston, LMHC, CADC, Director of Substance Use, Vinfen (Moderators)
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Break
3:45 PM – 5:45 PM
Feature Film: The Great Depresh, followed by panel discussion, in the Calderwood Studio
- Dr. Peggy Johnson, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Vinfen (Moderator)
Feature Film: The Ride Ahead, followed by panel discussion, in the Yawkey Theater
6 PM – 7:30 PM
Post-event Reception in the Fraser Performance Center (separate reception ticket required). After the films and panels are through, please join us for delicious passed hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, and a chance to mix, mingle and network with filmmakers and members of the Vinfen and human services community.
Additional event details TBA, including panel line-ups and more. Please note: schedule and panel participants subject to change.
Sponsorship Information
If you are interested in sponsoring the festival, please reach out to Adam Schaff at schaffa@vinfen.org.