Lineup Announced For Au Contraire Film Festival's Drive-In To End The Stigma

In the great Au Contraire Film Festival (ACFF) tradition, boundaries will be broken, envelopes pushed and stigmas erased, or, in the words of the organizers, and now for something completely different... This year, the festival's 8th edition will be held entirely online in October at acff.ca. Movie-lovers can look forward to the best possible festival experience as the groundbreaking ACFF mental health-themed film program becomes accessible to a global audience.

With October's festival being held exclusively online, Drive-In To End The Stigma, ACFF's first-ever outdoor, summer event, will be the only ACFF in-person get-together of 2020. The evening is a 10th anniversary celebration of ACFF community partner Donald Berman UP House; a Clubhouse with psychosocial programs that eliminates social isolation and rebuilds the confidence, purpose and community of adults living with a serious mental illness.

Presented in a safe, socially distanced environment, Drive-In To End The Stigma adheres to the latest Quebec protocols, and presents an exciting program for the public and ACFF community to share the ACFF festival experience:

• Live musical performance by ACFF 2020 Spokesperson and Juno Award-winner Florence K
• 3 award-winning, Oscar-nominated shorts, which, through a variety of entertaining perspectives explore the theme of erasing the stigma of mental illness
• Award ceremony to honour Dr. Karl Looper, Chief of Psychiatry of the Jewish General Hospital
• Video greeting by Nicholas Ratut, Chairman of the Board of Clubhouse International
• Catered food included from on-site food trucks.

"The shared experience is important to a festival like ours, so we're delighted that our supporters can join us for a safe, one-off event at the Drive-In To End The Stigma, to help launch our 2020 edition in style and celebrate the 10th anniversary of our community partner Donald Berman UP House," states ACFF Founder, and President of UP House Board of Directors, Philip Silverberg. "We're proud to be a world leader in mental health initiatives through innovative events such as the Drive-In, and we look forward to presenting new and existing fans a unique opportunity to experience the 8th edition of our festival online in October."

As well as performing at Drive-In To End The Stigma, the award-winning Florence K is delighted to announce her role as ACFF 2020 festival spokesperson. She was honoured by CAMH (Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto) among 150 change leaders in the field of mental health, and has also served as an ambassador of Bell's Let's Talk.

The full ACFF 2020 program will be announced here.

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