Eight short films chosen from more than 60 global submissions will screen at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex on October 10, when NAMI Miami-Dade brings its Reel Minds Film Festival back for a seventh edition timed to World Mental Health Day. The films tackle childhood trauma, depression, bipolar disorder, grief, anxiety and intrusive thoughts, with several filmmakers expected to attend and speak after the screenings. General admission runs $15, tickets are sold through Eventbrite, and the event is open to all ages with free parking at the venue.
The festival is organized by NAMI Miami-Dade County, a local affiliate of what it describes as the nation's largest peer-led mental health organization, according to Miami's Community Newspapers. Proceeds from ticket sales go toward the chapter's free mental health education, support and advocacy programs. Susan Holtzman, president and CEO of NAMI Miami-Dade, said film can connect people to experiences beyond their own, framing the festival's approach to opening conversations that are often difficult to start in person.
From Pandemic Hiatus to Sixth Edition
Reel Minds first launched in 2016 but went dark between 2020 and 2023 during the COVID-19 pandemic before its 2025 relaunch, according to ArtburstMiami. Community demand and past attendees still wearing festival gear reportedly helped spur NAMI to bring it back. This year, doors open at 11:30 a.m. with the program beginning at noon, and organizers expect more than 300 guests to fill the complex's theater.
Antwon Lindsey will emcee the event, which includes panel discussions with filmmakers, mental health professionals and community members with lived experience. Attendees will also vote for a People's Choice Award, nicknamed the Monarch Award, while a separate jury will hand out the Chrysalis Award. NAMI established the Chrysalis Award in 2025 to honor a short film for production quality, authentic portrayal of mental health conditions, and messages of hope and resilience, according to a listing on FilmFreeway.
Miami Stories on Screen
Among the eight selections is “The Glass Child,” directed by Iñaki Amechazurra and produced by Samuel Vargas, both graduates of Miami Dade College's film program. Set in Miami, the film follows a Hispanic family whose conversations shift between English and Spanish, and it draws on Amechazurra's own experience growing up with an older autistic brother. Amechazurra has said the film gives voice to siblings whose needs and emotions are often overlooked in families navigating special needs.
Another selection, “Hard Conversations: Jayla and Malcolm,” directed by Marche Howell-Wright and Jahdai Pickett, centers on a woman named Jayla opening up to her fiancé about a traumatic childhood experience, examining the lasting impact of serious trauma. Patrick McHugh directed a third film, “Stage Frightened,” also part of this year's lineup. Films were selected from filmmakers across the globe, though the two Miami productions ground the program locally.
A Jury With National Reach
The judging panel includes actress Mädchen Amick, founder of Don't Mind Me; Rafal Sokolowski, a filmmaker and program director of the University of Miami's MFA motion pictures program; film producer Debbie Gold; and two figures with national advocacy ties. Ashley Kolaya serves as director of the Mental Health Storytelling Coalition and is executive director of the Mental Health Storytelling Initiative, a coalition housed at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative that is a partnership of more than 70 leading organizations.
Cathyana Marcel, a mental health and wellness specialist with the Kevin Love Foundation, also sits on the jury. The organization was created in 2018 by NBA player Kevin Love to provide mental health education and social-emotional learning tools to student-athletes and educators, according to LEADERS Magazine. Their presence on the panel reflects Reel Minds' growing ties to national entertainment-industry standards for portraying mental illness on screen.
The Backdrop: A State Ranked Near the Bottom
The festival's return arrives amid broader concerns about adult mental health and access to care in Florida. Locally, an April 2025 analysis by healthcare provider Thriveworks found Miami has roughly one mental health provider for every 498 residents and an uninsured rate of 17.6%, gaps that often push residents toward nonprofit and peer-led resources instead of formal treatment.
Those pressures extend to younger residents as well. Youth depression and emotional isolation remain focus areas for local public health authorities, part of why NAMI Miami-Dade leans on accessible, low-barrier programming like film screenings and community partnerships to reach residents who may not otherwise seek care.
Community Partnerships Beyond the Screen
Reel Minds is one piece of a broader pattern of NAMI Miami-Dade collaborations across the county. In February, Voodoo Doughnut opened its Wynwood location and partnered with the chapter to donate 20% of opening-day sales along with ongoing proceeds from a custom key lime doughnut, as Hoodline reported at the time. The chapter has also worked with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and local sports franchises on a countywide suicide prevention campaign promoting the 988 Lifeline.
The Little Haiti Cultural Complex, which broke ground in 2006 following an initiative by late Miami Commissioner Arthur E. Teele Jr., draws more than 100,000 visitors annually to its 300-seat proscenium theater and gallery spaces, according to the City of Miami. The venue's role as a hub for Afro-Caribbean art and community events gives Reel Minds a setting rooted in Miami's cultural fabric, mirroring the festival's own goal of using storytelling to foster understanding and reduce stigma around mental health.
