“Why I Fight, or Team Wristband,” a short film adaptation of the 2019 Michigan Quarterly Review story by James Munro Leaf, dramatizes the perils of being defined by a mental illness and the complex and varied reactions of patients in the psychiatric system. It probes the presumption of labels and the complex dynamics of power. Directed, edited and adapted by Andy Kirshner and Gillian Eaton, the film features a diverse cast and crew of faculty and students from U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance and U-M College of Literature, Science and the Arts, including Professor Malcolm Tulip. Read Malcolm Tulip's interview with Michigan Quarterly Review about Why I Fight.

Through collaboration with the U-M Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program and other university units, the film will premiere virtually, January 14th, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. A panel on mental illness and the arts will expand on themes in “Why I Fight, or Team Wristband” and invite conversation with audience members. The panel will include individuals who live with mental illness; U-M faculty experts in related fields; and practitioners in the arts.

The discussion will also explore the role of creativity in healing and mental wellness. Dr. Melvin McInnis, Director of the Prechter Program, and other U-M mental health experts, will moderate the panel.