PTAFF’s Mental Health Film Festival celebrates 10th anniversary
The Pembroke Taparelli Arts & Film Festival marks its 10th anniversary with a three-day event running November 6 through 8, 2026, at The KULT LA in downtown Los Angeles. The program centers mental health through independent films, live performance, visual art and discussions that link personal wellbeing to social justice and community care. Screenings, four panel discussions, youth filmmaking activities, an art exhibition and performances by Artivism Dance Theatre along with poets Sean Raymond Hill and Charlene E. Green form the core of the celebration.
Founder and executive director Michelle Andrea Meshel Smith stated that for ten years PTAFF has created space for artists whose work asks audiences to see one another more fully. She noted that mental health touches families, creative lives and communities, adding that the anniversary offers an opportunity to bring those experiences into conversation through art and to consider how people care for one another.
Opening night on Friday begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception catered by Chef Q of CHEFISM, followed by film programming at 7:30 p.m. The feature Crownsville Hospital: From Lunacy to Legacy examines the history of Maryland’s Crownsville State Mental Hospital and brings questions of racial injustice, institutional accountability and human dignity into discussions of mental healthcare. The short film Someone Loves You, directed by Victoria Kostadaras and Amanda Mandii, portrays a Jamaican-American family navigating mental illness, strained relationships and generational silence; the filmmakers will join remotely afterward for conversation.
Four panels address storyteller responsibilities, creative professional wellbeing and choices facing families and communities. The Cost of the Spotlight examines pressures of creative careers and practical support including preparation, boundaries and care around emotionally demanding performances. What We Put on Screen explores how film and television shape public understanding of mental illness and the responsibilities that accompany those portrayals. When Help Is Refused addresses individual rights, family concerns, crisis response and pathways to care. Before the Breaking Point considers culturally responsive services, peer support, youth engagement, housing stability and community-based approaches to wellbeing.
Confirmed panelists include Michelle Kotval, Litigation Counsel in Disability Rights California’s Mental Health Practice Group, whose advocacy covers mental health, housing and disability rights; producer Carol Ann Shine; community organizer Asia Medley; and Cynthia M. A. Siadat, LCSW, whose work emphasizes sustainable self-care, burnout and mental health recovery.
Friday’s youth screening highlights films from Kids in the Spotlight. An art exhibition curated by Khindra Nicole, performances by Artivism Dance Theatre and poetry by Sean Raymond Hill and Charlene E. Green extend the themes through visual art, movement and spoken word.
Sunday’s closing program features competitive film awards and 10th anniversary recognition, followed by a community healing activation that offers space for reflection and connection.
Founded in 2016, PTAFF operates as a nonprofit platform for artivists who use creative expression to inspire dialogue and advance social change. Through film, visual art, performance and education the organization connects storytelling with social justice, mental health, community healing and civic engagement.
Friday programming opens at 10 a.m. with arrival and youth welcome, followed by the Kids in the Spotlight youth film screening from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and competitive short film blocks. The first panel, When Help Is Refused: Autonomy, Family, Crisis & the Ethics of Intervention, begins at 3 p.m.
Saturday includes the panel The Cost of the Spotlight at 1 p.m. and What We Put on Screen at 4 p.m. Additional competitive film blocks run throughout the day, an Artivists United presentation occurs in the evening and a dance and spoken word performance by Artivism Dance Theatre takes place from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday features the second community panel, Before the Breaking Point: Building Community Mental Health Before Crisis, at 1:15 p.m. The closing competitive film program begins at 3 p.m., followed by awards and 10th anniversary recognition at 4:45 p.m. and the community healing activation.
PTAFF has screened more than 500 films representing more than 20 countries and engaged more than 500 attendees across more than 50 panels and experiences since its founding. The 2026 theme is described as Mental Health: Stories of Healing, Resilience & Community Wellness.
