[2-01] Invited Speaker
There's a Film for Each of Us: The Role of Film and Television in Preserving Mental Health and Fostering Resilience
Film and other forms of on-screen entertainment bolster mental health, foster resiliency, and, ultimately contribute to our general well-being. We might take this statement for granted, but these assertions beg a number of important questions. How does film accomplish this impressive task? What gives film the potency to readily provoke thoughts, feelings, and even physical experiences? This talk seeks to answer these questions by examining the ubiquity of content that film offers as it caters to the endlessly individual needs of the audience. We will survey neurobiological, psychological and media data to understand these processes, and we will pay special attention to the role of film and other forms on-screen entertainment in helping all of us during the trials of the ongoing global pandemic.