DECEMBER 3-5 2026

UNION SQUARE NYC

a mental health film festival

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What to Expect

An immersive three day experience featuring short film and digital media, industry leading panels with top mental health professionals and innovators, finishing with an awards ceremony and celebration. Focused on mental health, create/M is a groundbreaking platform that uses the power of visual storytelling to amplify the real and authentic experience of mental health.

At it’s core, create/M is driven to change the narrative around mental health, break stigma, and share the real story of the human experience through creative expression. Through community building, film, art, media, performance, and creative work more broadly, create/M is dedicated to fostering dialogue among mental health professionals, innovators, artists, and individuals directly affected by mental illness through the use of creative media and storytelling.

❋ short film & Digital media

A curated selection of short film and digital media that share the human experience behind mental health issues and challenges.

❋ EXPERT PANELS

Industry leading panels with top mental health professionals, creators, and innovators at the cutting edge of their fields.

❋ Keynote speaker

Presented by an industry expert, our featured speaker will share a powerful perspective surrounding mental health and the power of creativity through lived experiencve.

❋ Meet&Greet

Connect with value-aligned professionals, mental health colleagues, creatives and artists to create a home for the convergence of the field of mental health and artistic expression.

❋ DIGITAL ART INSTALLATION

A showcase of impactful digital art will be featured throughout festival events, sparking conversation and connection.

❋ Awards

Judged by a panel of health professionals and film industry experts, we will award a select group of short film by way of our unique and specific criteria.

ARTISTic Assessment

Founded and led by leading clinicians with deep respect for the healing power of creative expression, our team selects films that speak to a unique and specific set of criteria.

Our film selections are not based on traditional cinematic and artistic excellence. We review and select them based on their ability to tell your story, in a real and authentic way. We celebrate film that has an inherent ability to make a viewer feel what someone else has experienced. We applaud an artist who brings us into their world, and starts a conversation. Ultimately, it is our dream and aspiration to share the stories that impact and improve another’s daily practice of awareness, mindfulness, and wellbeing.

Films with impact.

We are featuring short film and storylines that offer a unique perspective into a personal experience with mental health. We want to hear your story - good, bad, all of it.

Style that tells a story.

Cinematography and creative style that creates or enhances the overall message the artist wants to convey.

Communication.

Short film that exhibit a strong point of view that creates a clear line of communication with the viewer.

Motivation for change.

We feature story narratives that address unmet needs in the health and medical field, illuminate the unsaid challenges with family or friends, and articulate the human experience of all of the varied ways mental health has impacted your life. A story told in your own voice, through your perspective, to enable a deeper understanding and connection with those around you.