ABOUT RENDEZVOUS WITH MADNESS FILM FESTIVAL

MENTAL ILLNESS AND ADDICTION are fundamental parts of our human experience and they have always been difficult to present and discuss in the public arena. Fear and stigma routinely make accurate representations and presentations next to impossible.

The vehicle through which mental illness and addiction are most often presented publicly is mainstream film. Through these films the public can, in most instances, sit back and watch from a safe distance. Audiences are secure in the belief that they are watching the experiences of others and remain divorced from the realities of society.

RENDEZVOUS IN THE CLASSROOM

Rendezvous in the Classroom is a program of film(s) and panel discussion designed for presentation in high schools, with the purpose of stimulating interest in mental health issues. The students see films that deal with mental health and addiction, followed by discussion that includes one of the filmmakers, a mental health professional, and youth with actual experience of mental illness or addiction.