Transcript of interview with Interview with Naomi Ranz-Schleifer, MPH, chair of APHA’s Global Public Health Film Festival
Interview conducted by Lindsey Wahowiak, senior editor for The Nation’s Health newspaper.
Listen to this interview as a recording on our podcast page.
Let's talk a little bit about how the film festival has grown and changed over the years.
The film festival started about 12 years go, so we're going into our 12th year here in 2015. And it started originally as just a few films being shown in a room at the APHA Annual Meeting. And then in recent years it's grown to where they were showing about 40 to 50 films. And kind of had their own screening room. And we showcased films indistinct of U.S. Domestic sessions as well as some International sessions.
This year, we kind of took a different approach and we combined the International and U.S. sessions and we really amped up our publicity and called for submissions, as well as seeking film from other industries. And we have doubled our submissions. And we're now going to be showing 115 films, plus or minus a couple. I think we might even be up to 118 from over 26 countries.
So we've really — in the past 12 months — doubled our efforts. And are going to be showcasing a wide range of films. Everything from more blockbuster-type documentaries and TV shows, as well as smaller community health films and student-made films. So, it's really exciting.
That is so exciting. And is there an overarching theme to this year's film festival? Or is it super broad?
The overarching theme I would say is pretty broad. We do try to encourage filmmakers to submit films on the topic that aligns with APHA's Annual Meeting. But, more than that, the film festival is really just trying to showcase that film can inspire, engage and educate really diverse audiences on a wide range of health topics. And that's one of the things that we really like to showcase because film is such a great medium and has this capacity for compelling storytelling and creativity that engages new audiences. And that is something that I think in public health we're always trying to do is to get the message out there and to engage people in the work that we're doing and to get more hands on deck and really, yes, get the public involved in public health.
And I think this year we're just highlighting a wide range of topics and especially topics like mental health and sexual violence that are otherwise really challenging to address. These films allow us to kind of generate community conversations around those issues.
And is it all documentary? Or are there fictional works too? What do we have?
It's mostly documentary or realistic. I mean, in some cases there's artistic license. But more than that, I think it's documentary and then just combining the stories of many people in different ways. And so, the filmmakers are storytellers. And they can create the dialogue around that story however they choose. But we also have PSAs. We have a show called East Los High. Which is a drama. And it's an entertainment TV show. And so I guess that one is a fictional piece. But, that show has embedded information in it. And has been doing a lot of work to educate populations through kind of an entertainment media perspective. So, people watching it don't necessarily think, ‘Oh, I'm learning a lot’ or ‘I'm being told what to do.’ It's more of a natural fluid thing.
What do APHA Members and Annual Meeting attendees need to know about the festival that they might not know?
Oh, well, I'm not sure how many people actually know that there is a film festival. Since in my time I've been really surprised by the number of people coming to me going, oh, this is really wonderful. And really just that I think we have a film in there for everybody and for every person's interest, whether it's somebody who wants to sit down and watch an entertaining film or somebody who's looking to figure out ways to utilize film in the work that they're doing.
As I said, we have a wide range of films. Whether it's a full-length feature film documentary or it's a three-minute YouTube type video, or a PSA, if they're looking to figure out ways to encourage different groups of people to change their behaviors or if they want people to get tested for something, I think that there is some sort of film in there for everybody.
And so I encourage everybody to check out our program or contact us to see what we've got as well as how they can then take it back into the work that they're doing beyond the festival because a lot of time goes into curating these sessions and finding these films. And unfortunately, in this action-packed week, we don't have enough time to showcase all the films that we would like. But, I think that all of the filmmakers doing this work really want to see it have a much broader impact. And so the goal is to connect these filmmakers with people on the ground doing this sort of work. And hopefully they can both benefit.
What film did you connect the most with?
I mean, I've been watching all of the films. And I think in different ways, as I mentioned, East Los High was really exciting for me. Because I think that so many people out there are looking for kind of entertainment media. But to be able to sit down and watch a show and to recognize how they are creating the character storylines, as well as embedding even just simple information about eating healthy or accessing community resources, I think that was really exciting. And I got to talk to the creators of the show and they've been doing some really exciting transmedia work, which is linking viewers of the show to other resources, whether it's blogs that are actually done by the characters in the show that then link to community resources. So that was really exciting to kind of see how they're engaging with different types of media to engage youth especially who are always on their digital devices or watching many different screens simultaneously and to kind of break through that and use it as a tool for getting the message out there.
I'm also really excited about the film that we're going to be showing in full, which is “Dreamcatcher.” And that's a Chicago-based film and I think that will be really exciting not only because we will be in Chicago but we will be having a few of the people very integral to the film present and speaking on behalf of the work that they're doing, which is in human trafficking, sexual violence and kind of education as well as working in the criminal justice system with incarcerated prostitutes and things like that.
And then I think one other thing that I really just wanted to highlight, is we have a lot of films on mental health. And that was something that I went in this year really wanting to showcase mental health. I think it's an area we need to focus more on and the films that we have, I think show the whole range — even just people struggling with their own personal identity to people who are experiencing bipolar disorder or post traumatic stress, to depression. I mean, we have the full range as well as people who have experienced immense trauma and grief and are trying to figure out how to move through that. I think the films that we have really show how film is such a powerful tool and can generate those conversations in communities that we need to talk about, whether it's someone getting a terminal diagnosis or just us having the death of a friend or family member, things like that, that oftentimes people don't know how to talk about. These films show us a way as well as show us conversations that other people are having to kind of normalize the discussions.
I think it's really impressive that the film festival, like public health itself, seems to be really intersectional, which is really important. When and where is the film festival this year? And where should people go for more info?
Well, the film festival will be showcased at APHA's Annual Meeting in Chicago. So it will be in the McCormick Place Convention Center. And we are lucky we have one room so you only have to remember one spot, which is W180. And we are lucky to have a simple website, which is just APHA.org/filmfest, and people can go there for more information. And we're hoping to post more and more but there's links to trailers and the individual film websites for some of the larger films and hopefully we'll be updating content there as well just because most of these films have really exciting projects going on around them. The films are not created in isolation. They're generating movements across the globe. So we're hoping to really educate people about how these films are being used and how they can continue to be used to make a big difference.
That's phenomenal. I will see you in Chicago with the popcorn. Sound good?
Yes. Sounds good. And yes, it's Oct. 31 to Nov. 4. But we're excited this year to be starting on Sunday. So after the general opening session is when we'll be having our full film screening and we'll continue the rest of the week with screenings from I think 8:00 in the morning until almost 8:00 at night sometimes. So, hopefully we'll see you at the movies.
Thank you so much.
All right. Enjoy.
Check out the full film festival schedule online now.