Winner
AWI Short Film Competition

Sticks and Stones

A man sorts through the debris of his childhood, seeking help to untangle the differences between his own anxiety and depression, and the impact of toxic masculinity.

Content Heads-Up: mentions of physical violence, death by shooting, and alcohol use disorder; toxic masculinity; gunshots; shotgun directed at viewers; bird-hunting


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Director: Bill Doan, Cynthia White and Alexander S. White

BILL DOAN (William J. Doan Ph.D.) (he/him) is a past president of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and a Fellow in the College of Fellows of The American Theatre. In addition to articles in scholarly journals, Doan has co-authored three books and multiple graphic narratives. He has created solo performance projects at a variety of venues across the U.S., and abroad. His current work includes a performance piece, Frozen In The Toilet Paper Aisle of Life, part of a larger project titled The Anxiety Project, which includes over 500 drawings and two short animated films, Inhale, Exhale, Draw and Sticks and Stones. He is a Professor of Theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture and Director of the Arts and Design Research Incubator at The Pennsylvania State University. Doan served as the Penn State Laureate for 2019-2020. CYNTHIA WHITE is a documentary filmmaker whose projects have broadcast on television, at film and arts festivals, and at conferences around the world. Cynthia’s work aims to further the understanding of, and create dialogues about, the intersection of art and science. Her work includes teaching courses about digital media, community health and social justice. ALEXANDER WHITE received his BFA from Bard College in sculpture, animation and drawing. He has exhibited his drawings and animated films in New York, London, Barcelona and Los Angeles. Film and animation festivals include Atlanta Film Festival; Slamdance Film Festival; New York Independent Film Festival and Art Forum, Berlin. Alexander currently lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental illness out there, and it takes a lot of different forms. Experiencing some level of anxiety is a normal...

Depression

Depression causes severe, negative changes in the way you think and feel which makes it difficult to manage day-to-day tasks and activities such working, sleeping,...

Mental Wellness

Mental wellness is a process that involves finding balance in life, including your social, intellectual, physical (diet, exercise, medication management, substance use), spiritual, economic and...

Trauma & PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a response to a traumatic event or series of events. Something that is traumatic for one person might not...

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