Supported by the Inclusive Community Fund at Queen's University, the Department of Film & Media come together with Student Wellness in an effort to open dialogue about mental health in a way that is genuine and approachable, incorporating a panel, a filmmaker, and various participants in conversations about stigma and mental well-being.

We are hosting director Karina Garcia Casanova while we screen her autobiographical film Juanicas, which shines a light on rootlessness and mental illness. In this heartbreaking chronicle, Karina begins to film her brother Juan when he returns to Quebec after spending some time in their birthplace, Mexico. Her purpose is clear from the start: she is not interested in home movies, she is going to make a real film. And her project quickly takes a dramatic turn when Juan suffers a relapse into a desperate bout of depression and paranoia. It is not unusual for a first film to come out of a very personal journey, but rare are those that demonstrate such mature introspection. Here, cinema is nothing less than an essential tool for reconstructing the self (Bruno Dequen).

By screening this film, having the filmmaker speak, and engaging a panel from Student Wellness, we hope to help normalize the experience of mental illness while providing practical solutions that members of the Queen’s community can tap into. This project is a way to build up the inclusive environment Queen’s strives to attain, making it a safe place for everyone.