The inimitable Beatrice Wong is a pride and joy who truly embodies the spirit of Mental Filmness. A filmmaker who screened her innovative short film My Room 37 in the very first festival, she later signed on as an insightful and devoted jury member, watching and reviewing every film. Her perspective on both film and mental health has been invaluable the last few years.
Momo Cao made the beautiful and mesmerizing animated short Not Alone that kicks off the festival. What many may not pick up on is that Not Alone is about a cat that absorbs their twin sister during fetal development, a medical phenomenon known as chimerism. The story follows the cat’s battle with mental health, processing the pain until the sisters are reunited and turn into stars. However, Not Alone is open to many different interpretations, and the turbulent but ultimately hopeful immersive atmosphere of this unique and compelling short will resonate with audience members who have had to navigate the way through their own stormy periods to find their stars.
This conversation between Beatrice and Momo highlights the hope in this work and how though sometimes the mysteries of life and nature are outside of our control, our ability to cope with them and find the light at the end of the tunnel is not. Make sure to watch the lovely animated short Not Alone, which should be easy to do since it is the first short in the very first shorts block of the virtual festival!
Not Alone | Shorts Block No. 1 | Mental Filmness 2025 Virtual Festival
We were really spoiled with creative and expressive hand-drawn animation this year! Note also that Beatrice took the time to make a very unique video for the interview, including the use of the meditative music of YUHANG, to set the tone. I love this!