{"id":422955,"date":"2026-10-09T05:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T05:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/422955\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T05:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T05:14:10","slug":"personal-stories-shape-films-at-reel-minds-mental-health-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/422955\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Stories Shape Films at Reel Minds Mental Health Film Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written By\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHannah Spence
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
October 8, 2026 at 8:40 PM\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

Eight short films will\u00a0 screen at NAMI Miami-Dade\u2019s Reel Minds Mental Health Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex. (Photo courtesy of NAMI Miami-Dade)<\/p>\n

For I\u00f1aki Amechazurra and Billi Sarafina, filmmaking offers a way to tell stories drawn from difficult experiences in their own families.<\/p>\n

Their films, \u201cThe Glass Child\u201d and \u201cHard Conversations: Jayla and Malcolm,\u201d are among eight works screening at NAMI Miami-Dade\u2019s Reel Minds Mental Health Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is very little conversation on the topic,\u201d says Amechazurra, whose film explores the experience of growing up with a sibling whose needs dominate family life.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old writer and director made \u201cThe Glass Child\u201d as his bachelor\u2019s thesis project in Miami Dade College\u2019s film program. Like his main character, Ray, Amechazurra has an autistic brother and identifies as a \u201cglass child,\u201d a term describing siblings who feel overlooked as their families concentrate on another child\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

In the film, Ray experiences abuse from his brother, Domingo. Amechazurra says his focus is on the parents\u2019 responsibility to intervene.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u00f1aki Amechazurra is the director of \u201cThe Glass Child,\u201d which was chosen for the Reel Minds Mental Health Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10. (Photo by Britney Herrera)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal is to give a voice to others like me who feel alone and unheard, so they can feel seen and understood when their families refuse to understand them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Familial relations are also central to Sarafina\u2019s \u201cHard Conversations: Jayla and Malcolm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The piece is based on the writer and executive producer\u2019s experience of being sexually abused by a relative when she was younger, something she said she believes is prevalent in the Black community.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut just because something is common doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s normal,\u201d\u00a0 says Sarafina.<\/p>\n

A conversation between the title characters draws from one she had with her own partner, who was able to identify who her attacker was.<\/p>\n

The film also examines the response to speaking out. Jayla faces criticism from relatives, as Sarafina says she did, but finds support in her relationship with Malcolm<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Billi Sarafina\u2019s \u201cHard Conversations: Jayla and Malcom\u201d is based on the writer and executive producer\u2019s experience of being sexually abused by a relative when she was younger. (Photo courtesy of Black Light Imaging)<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of TV shows show couples in a negative sense. It is important to me to show a place where a woman feels safe, seen, heard, and protected,\u201d she says, explaining that Jayla\u2019s mother is imagined from a mix of Sarafina\u2019s relatives, including her mother and grandmother. Shot in two days, the piece was produced with a budget of $500.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also like to show that great stuff can be made with close to no budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

The now 38-year-old Sarafina said that since the film\u2019s release, other women have shared their stories with her. Sarafina plans to develop this into an anthology series.<\/p>\n

Two awards will be presented at the Reel Minds film festival: the Chrysalis Award, selected by the festival\u2019s jurors, and the Monarch Award, chosen by the audience.<\/p>\n

Among the festival\u2019s jurors are Rafal Sokolowski, who teaches directing and film production at the University of Miami and actress and mental health advocate M\u00e4dchen Amick. Her connection to NAMI started around 2012, when professionals recommended the nonprofit\u2019s resources after her son was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder.<\/p>\n

Sokolowski believes that film is an effective vehicle for analyzing mental health because it invites viewers to be immersed in the world of the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt places (the) audience in a unique position where they get to be observers and implicit witnesses,\u201d says Sokolowski, who had more than 20 years of experience in filmmaking before also getting into academia. \u201cFilm is a mass media. It has the power of reaching broad audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A panel conversation at the 2025 NAMI Miami\u2019s Reel Minds Mental Health Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of NAMI Miami-Dade County)<\/p>\n

The lineup also includes \u201cCharting My Brain,\u201d a personal exploration of drawing and mental health; \u201cStage Frightened,\u201d about a timid high school student whose theatrical ambitions are threatened by a mysterious figure; \u201cCrying Laughing,\u201d following two friends reflecting on a turbulent freshman year; \u201cMaking Unquiet,\u201d which uses music and visual storytelling to explore bipolar disorder; \u201cRumination,\u201d about a knight consumed by the need to perfect his sword; and \u201cMidlife Crisis,\u201d following a mountain guide\u2019s struggle with depression and return to his passion after divorce and loss.<\/p>\n

The festival pairs its screenings with two panels, \u201cHow Beautiful Minds and Beautiful Art Connect\u201d and \u201cConnections: Storytelling and Mental Health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want people to understand that even though the topic is mental health, this is an uplifting experience,\u201d says Susan Holtzman, president and CEO of NAMI Miami-Dade.<\/p>\n

WHAT: NAMI Miami-Dade\u2019s Reel Minds Mental Health Film Festival<\/p>\n

WHEN: noon, Saturday, Oct. 10<\/p>\n

WHERE: Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terrace, Miami<\/p>\n

COST: General admission, $17.85; VIP, $135.23, including service fees.<\/p>\n

INFORMATION: 305-665-2540 and Eventbrite for tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

ArtburstMiami.com\u00a0<\/a>is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don\u2019t miss a story at\u00a0www.artburstmiami.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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