Our headliner film for 10/9 is Maybe It’s This. What a wonderful documentary about pole dancing that we never expected to tie in with mental health so well. The connection to mental health is more subtle than in other entries, but it’s there in the mindfulness and freedom from self and societal limitation the art of pole dancing can provide. This film de-stigmatizes pole dancing as much as it de-stigmatizes mental health, showing it is about body positivity, body autonomy, and being comfortable in one’s own skin. The camaraderie among women of all shapes and sizes feeling powerful and sexy while supporting other women without judgement is such a healing thing to see.
The dancers featured in the film concede that it’s impossible to separate pole dancing from its roots in strip clubs. What they find so empowering about pole dancing is it’s not so much about what your body looks like, but what your body can do. It’s a flexible form of movement that allows you to come up with your own routine, providing a lot of leeway for creativity and self-expression. Sometimes our body can work out healing from grief when our mind cannot.
We’ve featured a lot of films in Mental Filmness about the mind-body connection and how therapeutic movement can be for mental health. We’ve also featured films that speak to the power of the creative arts to tap into a deep area of the brain that processes trauma. Pole dancing effectively harnesses both, so it’s no wonder that it has such a strong tie-in to mental health, even if it doesn’t seem immediately obvious.
Tori Beach, the filmmaker behind Maybe It’s This, will be a special filmmaker guest at the festival on Friday night, 10/9! In addition to seeing a well-made documentary that offers a truly unique take on mental health, you can participate in a conversation with the filmmaker about a fascinating topic and film.
Maybe It’s This will be our final film playing Friday night, 10/9, with Tori Beach in person.
Get your free tickets here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-filmness-film-festival-tickets-2000057532921
