On June 7, 2017, Emma Benoit, a successful student and popular varsity cheerleader, takes her father’s gun, aims it at her chest, and fires. While her life is saved, the bullet wound leaves her paralyzed, and as Emma begins the arduous process of recovery, including the goal of one day walking again, she is propelled to use her experience to help others, while also shedding light on a suicide epidemic that is devastating communities around the globe.
Most Recently Greg Dicharry co-directed and co-produced the award-winning feature-length documentary, Suicide The Ripple Effect which was released in theaters in March 2018 and on VOD platforms in May 2019. The film has had over 800 screenings worldwide with over 60,000 attendees.
Greg started chasing his film career in 1993 when he moved to Hollywood after college. He immediately began working on a variety of projects including feature films OutBreak – starring Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding and Morgan Freeman, as well as Mirage – starring Sean Young and Edward James Almos. He also worked on numerous music videos, commercials and live shows for VH1 and MTV.
He later returned home to New Orleans to co-found the video production company Verge Entertainment where he produced and directed numerous film and video projects including the TV pilot “Tribe TV,” which received a regional Emmy Award; “Heroin the Real Deal,” a heroine prevention film featuring surviving members of the band Sublime and “Go Cat Go,” an EPK for music legend Carl Perkins.
Greg’s film career was diverted by mental illness and drug addiction and after finding personal recovery he became committed to helping others do the same. For the last 11 years, he has been serving as the national youth empowerment director for Magellan Health, leading MY LIFE one of the nation’s premier youth programs focused on empowering young people with mental health, substance abuse, and foster care challenges, a program he created.
Greg has been honored to receive numerous awards for work in mental health including Mental Health America’s highest honor, the Clifford Beers Award – 2019, the 2014 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Voice Award for consumer/ peer leadership, the 2013 Howie the Harp Award for Advocacy in the Arts, National Council for Behavioral Health Reintegration Award- 2013, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Award- 2017 and Federation of Families for Central Florida – Exceptional Leadership Award – 2017.
My Ascension is now playing in the features section of the virtual festival.
You can watch an exclusive Mental Filmness interview with Emma & Greg here: https://mentalfilmness2021.eventive.org/interviews2021
Mental Filmness 