Youth and Suicide in American Cinema
Braaains
Our co-host, Heather had the pleasure of interviewing sociologist and artist Alessandra Seggi about her latest book Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences. Alessandra is a Fulbright grantee with a PhD in Sociology and MA in Media Studies and the analysis in her book is both a personal and professional reflection on suicide in film. Youth and suicide in American Cinema is about the portrayal of suicide in youth films covering both studio-driven and independent cinema from 1900 to 2018. It aims to understand such portrayals by offering a proactive approach via a...
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Ontario Place and the Importance of Third Places
Braaains
Today we delve into the importance of public and free third places and how they impact your mental health. We had the pleasure of talking with filmmaker, Ali Weinstein about her first observational documentary, Your Tomorrow, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024. The film is about the last year in the life of Ontario Place which became a defacto public park 10 years ago after living many lives as an educational and entertainment destination. Ontario Place was a third place that acted as a refuge to a lot of Torontonians until the government decided to turn...
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How Family Separation via Migrant Labour Work Impacts Mental Health
Braaains
Welcome back to another season of Braaains. We’re so excited to start the season with a fantastic interview with filmmakers, Thea Loo and Jeremiah Reyes, about Thea’s latest documentary, INAY With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, INAY (MAMA) investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers. Inay, which means “mama” in Tagalog, is an intimate and personal look at the experiences and trauma endured by many Filipino Canadians. In the film, Thea and her husband...
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Brilliant Minds and the Realities of Face Blindness
Braaains
Today’s our last episode before our Christmas break. Sad, I know, but we have such a great guest: Sadie Dingfelder. She wrote the most excellent book “Do I Know You? A Faceblind Reporter’s Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination.” Our conversation not only delved into face blindness (prosopagnosia) but also covered neurodivergence, aphantasia, and the importance of effective science communication. We also discussed films and literature centered around Face Blindness: the new NBC series Brillant Minds starring Zachary Quinto, KDramas like Rich Man, Poor Woman,...
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Disney+'s Out of My Mind and the Importance of Being Heard
Braaains
Sarah had the pleasure of interviewing Amber Sealey, director of the newly released Disney+ film OUT OF MY MIND, alongside the movie's star, Phoebe-Rae Taylor. Out of My Mind is based on the best-selling novel of the same name and tells the story of Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, who has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she...
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TIFF Special: Building Inclusive Futures
Braaains
We're doing something a little different today. When we were at TIFF, we had the opportunity to go to the perspectives panel -- Building Inclusive Futures: The Means of Accessibility. The panel was a discussion on accessibility and redefining perceptions of disability within the industry and beyond. The panel included Kyla Harris (chair of We Crip Film for the BFI and producer of Patrice: The Film), Viktor Korotovskyi (freelance photojournalist and the subject of Olivier Sarbil's documentary Viktor), Sean Towgood (Toronto-based writer, actor and creator of You’re My Hero), Aria Mia Loberti...
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Men's Mental Health within the Black Community
Braaains
Today our special guests are writer/ director Bernard Gray and actor Dwain Murphy. We discussed Men's Mental Health within the Black Community and how they explored this topic in the film, The Other Stuff, which recently premiered at the Reelworld Festival in Toronto. The film offers an honest exploration of how Black men, especially those from environments of crime, straddle the paths of good and evil as they attempt to transition into healthier, more fulfilling lives. The film follows Winston played by Dwain Murphy (CROSS, DIGGSTOWN), and Shannon played by Golden Madison (CROSS, LAW &...
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TIFF Special: Horror, disability, and access
Braaains
It's Halloween and we're talking about horror, disability, and access with filmmaker and navigator of the creative multiverse, Ariel Baska. We deep dive into A Nightmare on Elm Street, Ginger Snaps, and Wait Until Dark, and discuss how each film made Ariel feel seen in some way. We also discuss their horror documentary Monsterous Me and their work as a horror filmmaker telling stories around disability through a lens of genre. Lastly, we touch upon Ariel's TIFF panel about festivals and accessibility (MICROSESSIONS All Access Pass: Opening Doors for Every Audience) and their work as the...
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TIFF Special: SAD JOKES and the Perspective of Being a Carer
Braaains
SAD JOKES is the story of Joseph, a gay filmmaker, who co-parents with Sonya who is struggling with depression. The film captures a moment in time when Joseph has to juggle his family life, love life, and artistic ambition while Sonya's away at a clinic during a mental health crisis. Writer, director, and star, Fabian Stumm, tells us about the making of the film and how his personal life colored this film. Growing up with a dad with depression, Fabian understood at a young age that sometimes the people who are meant to take care of you can break down. He took that perspective into Joseph's...
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Empire Waist’s Exploration of Body Image and Teen Friendship
Braaains
Today we have a special guest and dear friend of Heather’s, Claire Ayoub. Claire is a writer, a director, an advocate, an educator, a leader, and an amazing friend to all – she also has the debut of her feature film, EMPIRE WAIST, coming out THIS FRIDAY, September 27th at a theater near you! Empire Waist follows a group of teens learning to love their bodies through inclusive fashion design and friendship. Not only do we talk about this amazing film, but we also discuss body image, body representation, and how learning to love yourself exactly as you are can sometimes feel like a radical...
info_outlineToday’s our last episode before our Christmas break. Sad, I know, but we have such a great guest: Sadie Dingfelder. She wrote the most excellent book “Do I Know You? A Faceblind Reporter’s Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination.” Our conversation not only delved into face blindness (prosopagnosia) but also covered neurodivergence, aphantasia, and the importance of effective science communication.
We also discussed films and literature centered around Face Blindness: the new NBC series Brillant Minds starring Zachary Quinto, KDramas like Rich Man, Poor Woman, 100 Days My Prince, and The Beauty Inside, and the book Hello Stranger. Not only did Sadie consult on the book, but the author Katherine Center named the lead character after her!
READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP069-Transcript-Brilliant-Minds-and-the-Realities-of-Face-Blindness.pdf
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