How a lynching and police killing 78 years apart haunt the rural community of Sikeston, Missouri.
The story of how the 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright - and the subsequent failure of the first federal attempt to prosecute a lynching - continues to haunt the small city of Sikeston, Missouri. Then, in 2020, the community is faced with the police killing of a young Black father. The film SILENCE IN SIKESTON explores the necessary questions about history, trauma, silence and resilience over 78 years.
By Water
BY WATER follows an unlikely hero's journey into his memories, which transform into a vehicle for reconciliation and healing. Based on a true story, the film was written and inspired by Iyabo Kwayana’s experience with her brother. Upon receiving an unexpected voicemail from him after his disappearance, Kwayana heeded her brother’s message and created this film as a way to “complete” his story.
Any Given Day
Filmmaker Margaret Byrne follows three formerly incarcerated Chicagoans as they manage their respective mental illnesses while searching for stability in their families, friendships, jobs and housing. While documenting the challenges that are faced at the intersections of a punitive carceral system, poverty and substance use, Byrne reckons with her own history of mental illness.
Well-Being: BIPOC Mental Health
What is being done and what more can be done for BIPOC communities who have historically been left out of the mental healthcare system? Mental health treatment, especially for people of color, is often met with minimal responsiveness, leaving the people managing mental health conditions, and those caring for them, struggling to find healing and wellness independently.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in 2020, Americans have had to cope with working, educating and caretaking from home while isolated and separated from loved ones afar. Now, over two years later, residual stress, lifestyle changes and "long COVID" continue to impact individuals and families as a whole. But what this has created is open, honest discussion around mental health and well-being in a country where support and resources are still inadequate.
WORLD showcases stories of mental health, from the digital series Decolonizing Mental Health to Any Given Day, following three Chicagoans as they face the complexities of living with mental illness, and more.
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