“If You Ask Me (IYAM) is a Rendezvous with Madness film created in collaboration with CAMH’s National Youth Advisory Committee (NYAC) part of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health.
When our society thinks of mental illness or mental health issues, the majority of what comes to mind is ‘dark’, ‘negative’, or ‘abnormal’. We want to show the world that mental illnesses aren’t the life sentence or the flaws in character that many think they are. IYAM is a film that will show young people with mental illnesses who embrace their mental health.
Rendezvous with Madness is accepting 3 minute video entries for IYAM, intended to be featured at the 2016 Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival.
Create and submit a 3 minute video in response to the following questions:
1. Describe/depict a decisive moment in your personal history.
2. Describe/depict some of your eccentricities or quirks.
3. What, if anything, would you miss about your mental illness if it was taken away tomorrow?
4. What’s the upside to mental illness? What was your best experience with it?
Maximum Length: Up to 3 minutes
Deadline: Extended – May 31, 2016
Forget all the negative stuff. Is there an upside to mental illness? Are there positive things in your head you’d like to share with the world? And why hasn’t anyone asked you this before? Now is the chance to tell your story.
If You Ask Me is an exciting new omnibus (a compilation of individual stories tied together) documentary movie that will feature people aged 13 to 30 creatively expressing their own vital experiences with mental health. The film will weave together personal perspectives with the goal of getting Canadians to think differently about mental illness. Consisting of a compilation of personal narratives expressed in any video format you wish – drama, diary, animation, music video, etc., – IYAM will push the conventional boundaries of the mental health and recovery conversations by igniting a whole new dialogue. And you get to start it!
Please fill out our online submission form to enter. You can email jennifer_li@workmanarts.com with any questions.”
Submitted by Jennifer Li, Workman Arts
Read Workman Arts’ profile on our Directory and Map of Community-Engaged Arts
