film

The Tell Tale Mop stars Zack Gottsagen (The Peanut Butter Falcon), Jen Msumba, and Roberto DeAngelo (Cobra Kai)—three powerhouse actors with disabilities bringing big heart, sharp humor, and unforgettable performances.

This film was made as part of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, which exists to help gain exposure for disabled actors and filmmakers and increase authentic representation of disability in film, television and media.

"I just want people to know that those of us with disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome are capable of so much. We have wants, dreams and goals like everyone else. We are fully human."

Something my mom told me one time is "Stop apologizing for taking up space in this world, you belong here as much as anyone else, and you are just as important as anyone else.” I have never forgotten her words.

You can watch The Tell Tale Mop this Saturday April 14th here: youtu.be/P2vHy9WieXo

#Autism #AutismSpectrumDisorder #DownSyndrome #Disability #Film

Art therapy and mental health (filmmaking and schizophrenia)

I've been through mental illness for 7 years: schizophrenia and bipolar, also known as schizoaffective disorder. One of the main causes of my mental illness journey was love delusion. It is this kind when you think someone is in love with you while that person doesn't know that you even exist :D

In love delusion, the patient seeks to convert and interpret any glance or situation from that person for their sake as if that person loves him/her.

Unintentionally, the patient converts a bunch of situations as a reason for the love he/she thinks it is from that person. I experienced love delusion and felt pain when I discovered that these situations were from my imagination and desire to be loved.

As a kind of art therapy, I decided to work on making a movie that shows my imagination about this fictional story. The eye contact that was interpreted as evidence of love, the stalking, the rumors or the auditory hallucinations, and the wrong interpretations, are all in the story.

In this kind of therapy, when you see something beautiful and discover that isn't true, you find yourself in need to show people what you have seen and how this affected you.

If you want to know more about my movie project, check our my YouTube channel and blog.#Film #MentalHealth

Psy/Samar Khalefa

I shared my story on Facebook - "11 Films About Addiction to Watch This Oscar Season" - linked to in the comments.

A friend, whose opinion I respect a LOT; we're often on the same page music-wise for example... he denounced "Requiem For A Dream" starring Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Ellen Burstyn. He called it out, dismissing it as "tragedy porn."

Indeed it is probably one of the most depressing films you could possibly watch. But I think it is a genuine piece of art. It's so incredibly good. The acting, the cinematography, the editing, the original story. Have you seen Requiem for A Dream and what are your thoughts? #RequiemForADream #Film #Oscars