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What a day. On Saturday, April 16th the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) held its first annual film festival. NYAPRS is the statewide organization that fights for the rights of all mental health consumers and the providers who support our struggle.

The film festival was broken into two themes. The first theme focused on "how we view ourselves as mental health consumers as opposed to how others view us." The first film Inside Outside was done by consumer-leaders Pat Deegan and Terry Strecker. It was a documentary depicting the lives of a few adults and one child with mental illness who suffered extended stays in institutions on their journey out of the hospital system. Inside Outside was an uplifting film, but one that showed the harsh realities of those of us who have been institutionalized.

The second film was Three Faces of Eve, Hollywood's portrayal of a woman with a personality disorder. It is comical in its misunderstanding of those with psychiatric disabilities, believing we are only complete when we are miraculously fixed of our disabilities.

The second theme was "how our recovery affects others." The first film shown on this theme was Out of the Shadow produced by Susan Smiley, the daughter of a woman suffering from schizophrenia. The film depicted the life of the mother and how her disability affected her children.

The last film portrayed a young man living with a drug addiction and how drug addiction wreaked havoc on everyone in his life.

The film festival was memorable not only for the day's successes but also how the day happened.

NYAPRS recognized that we needed more money for our Lobby Day events in Albany where we try to persuade elected officials to stand up for our rights including the right to receive funding for community services. So a fundraising committee was formed. After one failed attempt at a Halloween party, we settled on a film festival.

The movies were selected by a group of consumers and advocates and were previewed by the members of the Community Access clubhouse called Club Access. A Club Access member chose the first theme.

The Mental Health Empowerment Project, a consumer-run non-profit in Albany, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, the New York City Health and Mental Hygiene Department and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation donated money. Margarite Gayle came through with food and juice donations from Transitional Services, a mental health service provider in Queens.

In all, the film festival brought 90 mental health consumers together for an entire day of film and food for between $4 and $7 per person. The event raised almost $500 dollars.