HOPEFULLY
Hopefully is a 3-part study on social justice, mental health, and the times we live in. These short films were made as part of a collaboration with cellist, composer and storyteller, OkCello and the Emory University Arts & Social Justice Fellowship.
During his fellowship, OkCello collaborated with Emory professor, Dr. Elizabeth Walker, and her class on “Preventing Mental Health and Behavioral Disorders” in The Rollins School of Public Health.This project is an expression of the conversations they had around racial violence, inequity and discrimination during the fellowship. Their stories, both personal and global, provided the framework for the project, highlighting how mental health and social justice are intertwined and our collective response to that entanglement.
This first video draws on the students and artist’s views of this intersection, as well as questions the future of our mental health, as justice for so many appears to be more of an apparition than a reality. The second video highlights the conversations within the classroom, as well as the power of our individual and collective voices. This third video is a reflection of the life of Elijah McClain and all his legacy leaves us.
This program was made possible by the Emory Ethics & Arts Program. The music and poetry was created and performed by OkCello and mastered by Julian Tillery.
Role: Director, Producer, Editor