The university will help present the city’s first Minority Health Film Festival this week. From Sept. 12-15, the festival will feature acclaimed films, thought-provoking community forums, a resource fair and renowned guest speakers aimed at advancing public engagement on the health status of racial ethic minority populations.
The festival’s film schedule features eight selections, including The Interrupters, an award-winning documentary by Steve James that examines urban violence in a Chicago neighborhood over the course of a year. Also playing will be the locally produced Save Me, which explores mental and emotional health within Milwaukee’s Hmong community. All films will be shown at Milwaukee Film’s Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave.
The festival will also consist of a series of forums intended to spark conversation on key topics relevant to the Milwaukee community and beyond. The structured panels and discussions will cover topics ranging from the intersection of art and mental health, to financial and physical wellness.
Amy Lovell, president of REDgen, will participate in a discussion following the Sept. 14 showing of Resilience. The film, directed by James Redford, is an exploration into the developments of medical studies where conditions like heart disease can be linked to childhood experiences. The film provides the basis for a new understanding of what our culture is facing and how to best treat families dealing with “toxic stress.”
In addition, Dr. Dora Clayton-Jones, assistant professor in Marquette’s College of Nursing, will be participating in a talk back following the presentation of the film Spilled Milk. Dr. Sumana Chattopadhyay, associate professor in the Diederich College of Communication, will be part of a talk back after Unbroken Glass.
“The film festival is a unique opportunity for communities to explore complex health and other issues through a creative and inclusive medium,” said Dr. Dan Bergen, executive director of the Office of Community Engagement at Marquette. “The open dialogues that will follow the films reinforce how important honest, constructive conversations are to personal health, healing and overall wellness.”
The Minority Health Film Festival is presented by Milwaukee Film and Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
For a full list and schedule of the festival’s films and forums, as well as information on how to purchase tickets, visit Milwaukee Film’s Minority Health Film Festival webpage.
About Milwaukee Film
Milwaukee Film is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to entertaining, educating and engineering the Milwaukee community through cinematic experiences, with a vision to make Milwaukee a center for film culture.