MENTAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SPRING EVENT
Alberta Premiere of HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY SALON and Curated Art Exhibit
This June, Mental Film Festival kicks off its second annual mental health-inspired film and art showcase with the Alberta premiere of HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY SALON, from award-winning director Glenn Holsten. Alongside the main cinematic event, audiences can enjoy a temporary, pop-up art exhibit, featuring Alberta-based visual artists Andrea Dillingham-Lacoursiere, Jesse Lee Mason, and Chika Ando.
The single-day festival, adopting a pay-what-you-can model, takes place on Saturday June 3, 2017 from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Globe Cinema. A panel featuring mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience will take place after the film.
Established in 2015, Mental Film Festival was founded by a broad scope of community leaders including Alberta Psychiatric Nurse of the Year Patricia Dribnenki-Pennock, eager to create an art-centric platform to initiate conversation surrounding mental health. With the Canadian Mental Health Association reporting that 20% of Canadians personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime, Mental Film Festival plays an important role in helping to reduce stigma and ignite conversation in an inclusive atmosphere that allows people from all backgrounds to share unique perspectives. “Art and film are powerful tools to cut through social issues and create meaningful dialog. We want to inspire Calgarians to talk about mental health in a new way,” says festival director Natalie Noble.
HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY SALON is an uncommon portrait of everyday events in a small beauty parlour in Philadelphia, where staff and clients of the salon can share stories and find support. In a journey spanning four years, filmmaker Glenn Holsten allows each participant to relate their life story in their own chosen way, creating a unique, hybrid documentary incorporating animation and musical performances. Happy and painful memories unfold on the path to recovery and hope for the future.
The three visual artists selected for the festival’s art exhibit all work through their own experiences with mental health in their own distinct, powerful styles. The art, like the film, is a compelling demonstration of the power of the creative process and its ability to create connections and to transform lives.
Mental Film Festival is an innovative non-profit based in Calgary. For more information Click Here.
