Special screening of OUTSIDER, an award-winning documentary about the late artist Maury Ornest, mental illness, family, & the power of art to sustain a life, followed by a thoughtful panel discussion.
OUTSIDER (40min., Audience Award Winner for Best Short Film at the Montclair Film Festival) presents a rarely seen, candid view of a family's journey with mental illness and captures how art has the profound ability to sustain a life. The film chronicles late painter Maury Ornest, who lived a life shaped by both triumph and struggle, always returning to creativity as a source of meaning.
Born in Vancouver and raised in Los Angeles, Maury was a professional baseball player until injuries ended his career. As he moved into adulthood, he began suffering from schizoaffective disorder which changed the course of his life. It was art that gave Maury another arena. Basically self-taught, he filled canvases and journals with a profound body of work. Maury's sister, Laura, discovered 1,400 paintings and thousands of journal pages upon his death at the age of 58; a discovery which sent her on an unexpected journey.
Over the last three decades of his life, despite physical illness and isolation, Maury continued to create tirelessly, leaving behind a remarkable record of exploration and imagination. Narrated by mental health advocate and comedian Gary Gulman, and featuring interviews with those who knew him best, OUTSIDER reveals how creativity became both a lifeline and a means of expression during Maury's mental health journey.
Following the screening we will have a panel including a therapist from Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, and mental health advocate, and retired KNX radio journalist Laura Ornest, Maury's sister.
In addition, anyone who lost their home and/or works of art due to the Eaton Fire may choose a piece to take home as a free gift from OUTSIDER Project's
Gestures of Love program.
