Philadelphia Film Society to Screen Robin Williams' THE FISHER KING as Part of National Suicide Prevention Week

By: Sep. 04, 2014
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Movie site eflixir.com and the Philadelphia Film Society, in partnership with Minding Your Mind and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), are memorializing Robin Williams and promoting mental health awareness with a screening of "The Fisher King" during National Suicide Prevention Week.

The event, which will take place on Tuesday, September 9, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. at the Perelman Theatre in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, will include a screening of Williams' beloved film, preceded by a short panel discussion on the subject of battling depression and coping with loss featuring local leaders from the mental health field including WHYY Behavioral Health Reporter Maiken Scott, FOX 29 News Medical Reporter Dr. Mike Cirigliano, AFSP Associate Area Director Catherine Siciliano, Positive Psychology Expert Pax Tandon and Minding Your Mind Advocate Jordan Burnham.

Tickets are free, with a suggested minimum donation of $15, which will support Minding Your Mind and AFSP. In addition to the charitable benefit of THE CAMPAIGN for the non-profits, the partners are hoping to garner publicity and awareness for the cause of suicide prevention.

"Robin Williams entertained and inspired us all with his comic brilliance and his soulful performances," said eflixir President Marc Erlbaum. "In his memory, and in gratitude for the laughter and tears that he gave us, we are inviting the public to help others who are suffering with this devastating disease."

AFSP Associate Area Director Catherine Siciliano is excited to work with eflixir, and to bring the discussion of suicide out of the darkness. "Through research, education, and awareness, we can turn the tide on suicide," Siciliano said. "But it starts with breaking the stigma that surrounds mental illness and depression."

eflixir is a new film/cause website that offers thousands of uplifting Hollywood films and contributes the proceeds to charity every time a film is watched. AFSP and Minding Your Mind are two organizations linked on eflixir to all of the films on the site that involve suicide. Beyond the screening event, eflixir will donate $1.00 to AFSP for every Robin Williams film streamed on the eflixir site throughout the Month of September.

Tickets for the event can be reserved and donations made on the Kimmel Center's website at http://www.kimmelcenter.org/events/?id=5070 or by selecting September 9th on the calendar on the Kimmel homepage and selecting the event.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the nation's leading organization bringing together people across communities and backgrounds to understand and prevent suicide, and to help heal the pain it causes. Individuals, families, and communities who have been personally touched by suicide are the moving force behind everything we do. More information can be found at http://www.afsp.org.

Minding Your Mind is the leading provider of mental health programs to students, teachers, administrators and the community in Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey. More information can be found at http://mindingyourmind.org/.

eflixir.com is a film/cause website that curates Hollywood films and donates to a charity each time a film is watched. More information can be found at http://eflixir.com/.

Philadelphia Film Society (PFS) produces the Philadelphia Film Festival as well as year-round programming to engage and entertain the community. More information can be found at http://filmadelphia.org/.



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