The Open Mind Film Festival 2022 is presented by The Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. The Friends is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental health issues.
This second annual Film Festival is open to high school students throughout the United States. Today, many notable personalities are stepping forward to tell stories and share struggles with issues that negatively impact their lives and their mental health. We invite students to join this important conversation by submitting short films that highlight the experiences and concerns they, or their friends, deal with on a daily basis. Use your cell phone or video camera to create a short film to tell us your unique story.
The host for the Festival is Grace Gaustad, singer-songwriter and producer, who released her debut album, BLKBX, in August 2021. Grace has appeared on The Today Show and CNN to talk about her struggles with mental health.
Please email us at OpenMindFilmFest@gmail.com to ask any questions.
The Film Festival is scheduled for April 28, 2022. Selected films will be screened in a virtual format or at The James Bridges Theatre on the UCLA campus.
First Prize: $500
Second Prize: $300
Friends Choice Award: $200
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges, including:
- Van Alpert, film director, music videographer and artist, who directed "Skategoat," a feature film about Venice Beach skater, Leandre Sanders, released in 2021
-Sheena Brevig, a filmmaker and communications coach with a background in neuroscience and Director of DEI Workshops for the Center for Scholars and Storytellers based at UCLA. Sheena created, directed and stars in "Crazy," a queer, Asian, mental health webseries (coming soon), leveraging media to break stigma and create a more inclusive world.
- Zach Gottlieb, founder of Talk With Zach, a Gen Z social media movement that hosts conversations on issues impacting teenagers to change the culture, inspire activism and make the world a better place
-Jen Greenstreet, MidAmerican Emmy award winning filmmaker and founder of Just Like You Films, a company that makes films about real life stories that teach all of us are more alike than we are different. Jen is the director and writer of the film "Just Like You - Anxiety and Depression" which will be released March 8, 2022.