OUR TIME Season 2


#201 - Teen Mental Health and Suicide in Black Families – DOM and I’LL BE THERE

(400 characters) Suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens in the U.S. While leaders acknowledge a teen mental health crisis, much discourse focuses on suicide as a white issue. The disposability of black lives, coupled with taboos associated with depression and self-harm, prevent many from breaking the silence. Filmmakers Kalia Hunter (Dom) and Kallista Palapas (I’ll Be There) recount two young black lives cut short by suicide, and in doing so, compel communities to act.

(90 characters) Suicide and mental health in black families as told through those left to grieve.


#202 - Immigrants and Refugees –LAS HIJAS (THE DAUGHTERS) and LEAVING AFRICA

(400 characters) New immigrants and refugees face steep challenges coming to the U.S. Rarely, though, do we hear candid conversations between immigrant kids and their families. In Las Hijas, filmmaker A. Pena de Niz crafts a deeply intimate portrait of first-generation daughters from Mexico while Rose Nseya (Leaving Africa) recounts the harrowing odyssey of fleeing one’s homeland in search of safer lives.

(90 characters) The human costs of immigration in the U.S. as told through immigrant families and refugees.


#203 - Blindness and Autism – BLIND SIGHTED & A LONELY HIGHWAY

(400 characters) Representations of Americans with disabilities are in desperate need of a refresh. Even as assistive technologies help people adapt, the stigma associated with blindness and autism, in particular, continue to sting. Filmmakers Mitch Davila-Armendano (Blind Sighted) and Andy Kwiatkowski (Lonely Highway), overcome numerous obstacles with humor and humanity as they seek a deeper sense of belonging.

(90 characters) Two teens take aim at the stereotypes they face being blind and autistic.


#204 - Protecting Families – SKINNED KNEES and KIK-ME!

(400 characters) At least 1 in 7 kids have experienced child abuse in the past year. Especially when perpetrated by a parent, abuse is often difficult to report. Equally frightening is the ease with which online predators lure teens into abusive relationships. Filmmakers Olive Van Eimeren (Skinned Knees) and Karizma Rivera (Kik-Me!) tackle child abuse head on, looking for reconciliation within their families while healing themselves.

(90 characters) Two teens take aim at abusers and online predators while helping heal their own families.


#205 -Trans Youth in America – TRANSFORMING MEDIA and RE-FRAMING

(400 characters) Fully one third of transgender youth in America have reported a suicide attempt last year. Behind this chilling statistic is a specter of trans representation in the media that veers from the pathological to the horrific. Filmmakers Amber Young (Transforming Media) and Delaney Mauve (Reframing) tackle trans representation in very personal stories, allowing families to talk openly about gender.

(90 characters) Representations of transgender lives through the eyes of young Americans.


#206 - Colorism in America: SHADEand OUT OF OUR HEADS

(400 characters)
Racial stereotyping has an insidious history in the U.S. While gains in civil rights have increased significantly, younger generations continue to perpetuate harmful labels, often subtle ones, that undermine people of color. Filmmaker Antreise Lacey (SHADE)confronts the terms “team light skin/team dark skin” and filmmaker Shaienne Knox examines black hair styles that hew to white beauty standards.

(90 characters)
Addressing colorism in America through the lens of black hair and skin tone.