I’d like to give a huge thanks and appreciation for those involved in our final event of the year on 11/22 during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Thank you to Ivan Sanchez for originally connecting us to Doug Shaffer, he is such a kind and gracious guest. Thank you to the Chicago Public Library’s Disability Pride Committee for generously sponsoring another Mental Filmness screening to support and spread awareness of mental health disabilities. Thank you to producer Douglas Shaffer for taking time out of his busy schedule to come out on a fairly quick turnaround to screen the film 5000 Blankets and engage the audience in discussion about the importance of recognizing and addressing mental health conditions and homelessness as well as the filmmaking process in general. Huge thanks as well goes to filmmaker and Mental Filmness jury member Nick Chirico for his help in calmly and competently working through some tech issues, the staff of the Albany Park branch library for hosting us and also doing some troubleshooting with the room and loaning A/V equipment, and for local storyteller and advocate Dave Scott for telling his own story about his experience with homelessness to engage the audience and help smooth things over (as well as sharing some valuable resources from his experience). This was truly a team effort from a caring community!
We actually had a decent turnout and probably most importantly (other than people bringing snacks and candy), the audience members who could stay later were very engaged in the discussion. People talked about resources and possible solutions to these problems, some from lived-experience perspectives, and some were curious about the filmmaking process itself. Thanks for making the last Mental Filmness event of the year a truly warm and memorable experience!
