Toronto’s Get Reel Film Festival, which aims to promote mental health awareness, is back for a third year starting today.
Get Reel is organized by Stella’s Place, a community-based organization that offers free, collaborative mental health services to young adults aged 16 to 29 in Toronto.
The festival describes itself as an impactful, stigma-breaking event that explores the experiences of mental health through the art of film.
“Our mission with Get Reel is to share honest stories of experiences with mental health that spark conversation, dismantle stigma, and encourage help-seeking,” the organizer said in a release.
June 5 is the opening night of the festival and will premiere three Emerging Artist scholarship films by Ayesha Azad, Spencer Glassman and Anastasia Ikina, at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
How’d You Sleep is a deeply relatable comedy about insomnia, while Nool is an animation about a Canadian immigrant’s relationship with her cultural identity. And lastly, On the Line is a drama about a woman separated from her family and struggling with PTSD after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Other topics covered by the films include mindfulness and meditation, climate anxiety, bipolar disorder, grief, gender identity, and the impacts of anti-Black racism on mental health. In addition, there will also be interactive workshops, virtual and in-person film screenings, and post-screening panel discussions at Stella’s Place.
According to organizers, previous years’ scholarship films have gone on to be featured at Sundance, and TIFF, and displayed at CAMH and the AGO.
“When it comes to mental health, knowledge is power. The more people we can reach with this event, the more people who might see themselves reflected in these stories, and feel empowered to seek support,” the organizer explained.
Throughout the festival, in-person and online mental health support will be available for all attendees.
The event runs until June 9 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, HotDocs, Stella’s Place and online. Closing night will take place at Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema and will feature films by Canadian filmmakers Carol Nguyen, Tara Natalia, Director X, Sara Basso, Karen Chapman and Moses Latigo Odida.
Tickets for Get Reel are available now on a pay what you can basis.
