Has Heart
HAS HEART is an intimate and inspiring documentary capturing the emotional journey of U.S. Navy veteran Michael Hyacinthe and artist Tyler Way, who unite to transform veterans' experiences through the power of art. After serving in conflict zones and experiencing personal loss and trauma, Michael grapples with his own sense of identity and purpose. He finds new meaning by collaborating with Tyler, a talented footwear designer, to create a unique space where veterans can express their untold stories through art and design.
Outliving Shakespeare
In a decaying Soviet-era retirement home, a vibrant group of elders cling to life by staging Shakespeare. Yet loneliness lingers beyond the theater’s doors, until drama begins to blur with reality.
Le chemin brut de Lisette et Romain
One of Those People that Live in the World
Writer/director Paul Maunder's second drama after his award-winning Going Up North for a While is a portrait of a woman's mental health crisis. In part one Julie (Denise Maunder) is haunted by her birth mother's breakdown. Her inner monologue narrates events; Julie hopes marriage and a job will "cure" her, and falls pregnant. After a traumatic delivery, she suffers an acute episode and is admitted into care. Part two takes place in a psychiatric hospital where drugs, electroconvulsive therapy and art therapy were standard treatments at the time. Maunder undertook research at Auckland's Kingseat psychiatric hospital.
The Falcons
The Falcons is an intimate, observational documentary that delves into the world of the Tshakhruk Ethnoband, a remarkable musical ensemble in the Armenian highlands. Comprised of special-needs children that reside at the state orphanage, these young musicians find solace, strength, and self-expression through the transformative power of music.
The Complexity of Love and Sadness
Lolo, a 23-year-old boy, is devastated when his girlfriend Clara leaves him. Impsed in sadness, he takes refuge in writing, facing his deepest fears and emotions. An unexpected turn in the end will lead us to discover who Lolo really is.
Colour Through the Grey
Blending poetic and expository modes of documentary storytelling. ‘Colour Through the Grey’ explores the psychotherapeutic method of art therapy, questioning whether creative expression can be used as a therapeutic tool in navigating bereavement, or if the dissonance between dejection and therapeutic intervention proves to be too strong to overcome.
The Green Creature Within
This film tells the story of an adolescent psychotherapy group that met at an outpatient clinic for two hours a week over a period of two years. Art and drama were the major therapeutic tools, along with music, movement, poetry, and filmmaking. The varied expressive modalities are demonstrated in this film, as well as the different roles the therapists played in facilitating the group process. In addition to telling the story of the group, this film also includes detailed case studies of two of the members. It is a rare example of multimodality group therapy unfolding over time.
