A new, local documentary sheds light on Black mental health issues.
Jessica Chaney and Amanda Willoughby’s film “I Am: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health” will be shown on television for the first time at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, on WKNO.
Chaney served as director and Willoughby served as editor and producer. The duo works together through their company Not Your Ordinary Films.
In the 56-minute documentary five Memphis women are interviewed about their mental health — specifically anxiety — and how they deal with challenges.
“‘The I Am project’ came about because of my own struggles with mental health,” Chaney said. “I had the opportunity to talk to Amanda and other Black women from the community about their stories and how they are able to cope and thrive.”
Willoughby said she is excited for the premiere because it will broadcast locally and viewable to so many people.
After the screening on WKNO, the film will be screened at the Pink Palace Museum and Mansion (part of the Museum of Science and History) on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 2:30 p.m. A panel, featuring the film’s participants and other guests, follows.
“We love the fact that we can not only show the film but talk about it and bring in the people who were in the film such as expert knowledge,” Willoughby said.
The filmmakers received a $15,000 grant from Indie Memphis in 2021. The production began in 2020, and the film premiered in 2023 at the Indie Memphis Film Festival.
Feedback from the festival motivated Chaney and Willoughby to go back and capture additional footage and photos. At the festival, the film received a special jury award.
The film was originally 1 hour and 20 minutes long, but was shortened to fit broadcast standards.
Willoughby is a Memphis native who began working in film 14 years ago after graduating from Memphis College of Art.
Chaney, originally from Eufaula, Alabama, began working in film 20 years ago after graduating from the University of Alabama. She has been in Memphis for more than a decade.
The duo has been working together since 2017.
Together, they have made web series and short films.
“I Am” is their first documentary.
“I want people to come away from feeling alone and be more knowledgeable on their mental health and options they can take to address it,” Chaney said.
Chaney and Willoughby are hoping to expand this film into a docuseries.
“I Am: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health” will screen at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Pink Palace Museum and Mansion (part of the Museum of Science and History). Tickets are free, but registration is required.
