HOCCI’s Sean Oketani sits down with Laurel Tamayo to discuss her short film, GEN Z MENTAL HEALTH: CLIMATE STORIES, which was a part of the official selection for HIFF43 in the Environmental Shorts Program.
Here is the synopsis for the film:
A short documentary that explores the mental health impacts of the climate crisis on young adults worldwide, and considers what resilience means when fighting for the right to a livable planet. The film captures the emotions of a generation that may be frightened, yet is anything but hopeless, saving room for stories of love, community connections, and healing.
This podcast interview covers the topics highlighted in the documentary, opening up a larger discussion on the climate crisis and its effects on the collective mental health of a generation, and the market’s need for impact producers in current documentary filmmaking.
For more information on this film, you can follow the production studio on Instagram @strandedastronaut or you can visit climatementalhealth.net/genzfilm.
Sean Oketani is a recent graduate from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Visual Film and Media Arts with a BFA in Television Writing and Production. He is passionate about writing and creating compelling media. In his free time, he enjoys taking photos, going to the beach, and consuming various forms of media. Sean is also an intern at this year’s HIFF43, as a contributing writer to the HIFILM blog.
The HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) program supports sustainable film criticism in Hawai‘i through mentorship and paid career opportunities. The mission of HOCCI is to broaden diversity in film criticism across the Pacific region and use influencer branding strategies to spark career opportunities in Hawai’i, not be hampered by oceans, state borders and distance, because geography is no longer a barrier. The 2023 HOCCI is supported by Critical Minded, a grant-making and learning initiative that supports cultural critics of color in the United States.
