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Where Art Heals
The Mind Mosaic Arts Festival seeks to shine light on mental health and social justice on World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2025. Presented by The Change Theatre, a nonprofit dedicated to storytelling for health and social justice, the festival showcases diverse, emotionally honest, and artistically bold short films (35 minutes or less) that explore intersections of healing, trauma, identity, and equity.
This first-year hybrid festival features a live screening at Bowie State University and a curated online showcase for global audiences.
October 10, 2025
What We Explore
Each year, Mind Mosaic curates work that reflects the emotional realities and cultural truths of our communities. We believe art can be a tool for both personal and collective healing.
Mental health and emotional wellness
Substance use and recovery
Trauma, healing, and resilience
Social justice, identity, and systemic impact
Festival Programming at a Glance
FESTIVAL PROGRAM
FRIDAY OCTOBER 10, 2025
BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY
FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER RECITAL HALL
4:00pm-6:30pm
Title | Director | Country | Running Time | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Opening Remarks | Devin Nikki Thomas and Richard Brown | United States | 10:00 | Opening remarks from
festival directors |
The Sixth Stage | Devin Nikki Thomas | United States | 20:00 | The Sixth Stage is is a
psychological drama that
follows Audi Coleman, a
nurse forced to confront
the overdose death of
her sister while
navigating fractured
family ties. As she
channels her pain into
achievement and
reinvention, her buried
grief surfaces in
unorthodox and
unsettling ways. Told
through nonlinear
storytelling and layered
dynamics, the film
examines the myth of
the “strong one” in grief
and the quiet
devastation of unhealed
trauma. |
Waves | Sultan Ali Jr. | United States | 4:15 | A visual poem that tells
the story of a young
Black man overcoming
his own toxic habits told
through the narrative of
a self-help cassette tape. |
The Box | Nacho Marraco & Javier Botella | Spain | 14:00 | Three waiters watch a
soccer game with the bar
closed to the public,
suddenly, a postal
delivery man appears
with a rather large box to
deliver. From that
moment on, the box and
its contents take on an
unexpected role that
changes the events of
what was initially going
to be the end of another
ordinary night at work. |
Ripe Apple | Sara M. Doménech | Spain | 6:17 | One ordinary morning, a
10-year-old girl is
surprised by the arrival
of her first period.
Through the metaphor
established between our
protagonist and an
apple, the social
pressures placed on girls
from this moment in
their lives are shown,
with the help of a poem
recited by the same girl
10 years later. |
The Cage We Choose | Rafael Paiva | United States | 17:43 | Michael, a convicted
criminal, agrees to take
part in an experimental
tech therapy program to
shorten his sentence.
Guided deep into the
shadowed recesses of
his mind, he must
navigate a void, where
buried memories and
long suppressed traumas
resurface.
|
Beg Yuh A Call | Mikey T Campbell | Jamaica | 8:06 | Omar is adjusting to life
overseas. A call from
back home changes
everything. |
Behind Young Eyes | Abbie Louise Simpson | United Kingdom | 3:41 | Behind Young Eyes is a
3D animated short film.
It explores the idea of
child coping
mechanisms and shows
the main character,
'Trixie,' a young girl
dealing with her parents'
constant fighting. We
discover how she sees
this negativity and
through the help of
friendly face, how she
copes with it. |
On Loneliness | Michael Joseph McDonald | United States | 6:48 | A 7-minute film
exploring loneliness,
friendship, and belonging
through the voices of
people with and without
disabilities. |
Ayer Otra Vez | Jorge Del Toro | United States | 10:50 | A widower haunted by
fading memories must
confront what’s real and
what’s vanishing when
an unexpected visitor
forces him into a fragile
dance between past and
present. |
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