Mad dance : a mental health film trilogy.

Mad dance is a trilogy of provocative and beautiful short films that re-envision the way we think, speak and feel about mental distress and wellness in today's chaotic world. These transformative films offer new maps for navigating madness with insight, healing and hope. The trilogy includes the following films: Crooked beauty is an internationally acclaimed poetic documentary that chronicles artist-activist Jacks McNamara's transformative journey from psych ward inpatient to pioneering mental health advocacy. It is an intimate portrait of her intense personal quest to live with courage and dignity, and a powerful critique of standard psychiatric treatments. Poignant testimonials connect the fissures and fault lines of human nature to the unstable topography and mercurial weather patterns of the San Francisco Bay Area. In light, in! is a haunting, visual essay about the awkward and angry junctures where our culture struggles to manage its emotional distress. Images recycled from 1950's-era educational films are accompanied by original compositions by world-renowned cellist, Zoe Keating. For shadows is a contemplative, multi-layered memoir that explores the process of coming to terms with one's shadow while unraveling the tangled roots of self-harm. The home movies of a child's formative years and an interior landscape of traumatic domestic memories are excavated and re-constructed alongside sound clips from archival mental hygiene films. "At once extremely personal and yet exquisitely accessible, Ken Paul Rosenthal's Mad dance mental health film trilogy is that rare cinematic feat that combines ineffably compelling artistry, poetics, and visual beauty with compassion, daring, and a heartfelt sense of purpose - all in the service of shining light upon deep (and dark) psychological truths." -Alan Berliner, Filmmaker, The family album and First cousin once removed "The mad dance trilogy captures the intensity of human suffering, enlightening the pain of madness that is often cast to the shadows, and takes us through a journey of profoundly moving images that show the power and resiliency of the human spirit." - Dina Tyler, coordinator of peer and family support services, PREP Alameda County. "A soulful and thought-provoking springboard for classroom discussions, challenging art and psychology students to creatively expand the way we navigate the dark and light in our lives." - Paige Greason, PhD, Clinical Director, Counseling Services, University of North Carolina "These groundbreaking films offers new language for how we conceptualize and discuss the culture, power and politics of psychological suffering." - Heather Macdonald, Psy. D. , Assistant Professor of Psychology, Lesley University "A deeply humane, must-see experience for anyone entrusted to provide mental health care to other people and all who care about relieving mental anguish and distress." - Joe Behen, PhD, Director Counseling, Health and Disability Services, School of Art Institute of Chicago.

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