Patricia Flowers makes her directorial debut with Louder (please), a documentary short which tapped into a diverse group of young people, ages 5 to 19, for their thoughts on the 2016 Presidential election campaign while it was happening. From those who are not yet of voting age to those who are first-time voters, the folks in this film shared fresh and insightful observations, expressing a deep level of concern as they try to make sense of the election and our political process.
This is an excerpt from Louder (please).
Credits
Production Patricia Flowers, director, producer, camera, sound; James Moore, camera, co-producer; Sollana Brown Irvin, assistant to producer. Editorial Scott Brock, consulting editor. Music Song: "I Feel Just Like a Child," performed and written by Devendra Banhart; published by BMG Blue (BMI) obo Chrysalis Music Ltd. (PRS/MCPS); Courtesy of BMG Rights Management (US) LLC. Location managers Marcia Irvin, Benjamin Irvin.
Continuing their partnership to combat the mental health crisis among America’s youth, the Ad Council and McCann New York have released the latest installment of the “Sound It Out” campaign which focuses on helping parents and caregivers have meaningful conversations with their kids about emotional wellbeing.
The new work, “Listening is a Form of Love,” focuses on the important role parents and caregivers play in supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and is supported by new data from Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker. The survey highlights that: 55% of youth (ages 10-24) report mental health struggles; and one in five youth report symptoms of depression, and one in four report symptoms of anxiety.
The film includes an interactive digital experience that invites parents to practice “holding space” by pressing the space bar to listen to kids sharing what they wish their parents could hear, in their own words. Along with this literal interpretation of the active listening the campaign encourages, the website also gives valuable tools to help parents and caregivers be better listeners, and in turn, better support their kids.
There is also this 60-second PSA--directed by Alex Fischman Cardenas via Greenpoint Pictures--which underscores the power and importance of listening to your loved ones.
