Smile4Kime

The 2020 film grant will support "Smile4Kime," a collaborative auto-ethnographic documentary. The film explores the mental health journeys of two women: Kime, an African American woman who lived with dissociative identity disorder after a series of sexual assaults and Elena (the director), a Puerto Rican woman dealing with depression and grief after the death of Kime. The film incorporates interviews, experimental/performance footage, and animation to explore grief, friendship, and intimacy across mental illness, considering important themes of race, gender, and mental health.

The 2021 Community Voices grant will support "Smile4Kime" as it fosters alternative imaginings, community conversations, and actions around Black women's mental health. This film impact campaign will include screenings, community-led conversations, and an educational/community toolkit.