CENTERING CHARACTERS WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS IN FILM AND TELEVISION AFI Summit

Before this AFI Summit session, watch PINK SKIES AHEAD, available beginning October 18, 7:00 p.m. PDT until 11:59 p.m. PDT

All too often in Hollywood movies or television programs, characters with mental health conditions are portrayed disparagingly, stereotypically or erased from the screen entirely. Dr. Stacy L. Smith of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, who has documented the gaps and shortcomings in these portrayals, leads a deep dive conversation with mental health experts, filmmakers and creative executives who are looking to center characters facing mental health issues and to portray their situations in more authentic and humane ways.

Panelists include: Kelly Oxford (Director/writer PINK SKIES AHEAD); Jessica Barden (PINK SKIES AHEAD); Noopur Agarwal, Vice President of Social Impact for the ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group; and Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.