ReelAbilities Screening: No One Cares About Crazy People
Event Details
Join Art Possible Ohio and the Wexner Center for the Arts for the March program from ReelAbilities Film Festival Columbus. This free screening of the award winning feature documentary No One Cares About Crazy People will be followed by a panel discussion with Gail Freedman, Darrell E. Herrmann, Tyeesha Ferguson and moderated by Danielle Smith. An intimate, immersive deep dive into the crisis and chaos of severe mental illness – and a burgeoning grassroots movement to do something about it.
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Doors open at 6:30 PM, film begins at 7:00 PM.
Feature Film:
No One Cares About Crazy People
Cost:
Free and open to the public. For tickets visit the Wexner Center for the Arts. Registration is requested for this event due to limited seating at the venue.
When:
March 4, 2026 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Schedule of events:
6:30 PM: Doors open
7:00 PM: Film begins
8:30 PM: Panel discussion with director Gail Freedman
Where:
Wexner Center for the Arts
1871 North High Street, Columbus, OH
Access:
This film features open captions. ASL will be available for the prescreening introductions and postscreening conversation.
We will also have headphones for assisted listening.
Parking:
Parking is available in the Ohio Union Garages. To receive $5 general public parking, request a validation sticker for your parking ticket at the Wexner Center Visitor Desk or the Mershon Auditorium box office. Present your validated parking ticket when leaving a CampusParc garage, and the price discount will be automatically applied.
Film Description:
Director: Gail Freedman
Year: 2025
Running Time: 96 min
With a fusion of intimate storytelling and broad reportage, No One Cares About Crazy People is an immersive deep dive into the crisis and chaos of severe mental illness (SMI). The documentary humanizes the face of SMI with a small cast of memorable characters, followed in real time over several years, as they — and also their families — navigate a system that too often seems to conspire against them. The historic roots of this national crisis are traced, as well as the emergence of bold but controversial activism that seeks to reinvent those failed policies. Inspired by the book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Ron Powers. With narration by actor Bob Odenkirk and original music by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy.
About Gail Freedman:
A one-time aspiring concert pianist, Gail abandoned the stage for the screen many years ago, with brief stops in academia, government and health care along the way. It hasn’t exactly been a planned migration, but in 25 years as an award-winning filmmaker, she has produced, directed and written dozens of documentaries on a wide range of subjects. She has also taught at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Among her films: Hot to Trot, an award-winning feature documentary inside the fascinating but little-known world of same-sex competitive ballroom dance – an idiosyncratic attack on bigotry, called “stirring and impressive, warm & involving, with unique heft & vitality” by the Los Angeles Times; and Making the 9/11 Memorial, a primetime special for The History Channel, which aired on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, when the Memorial opened. Other notable films, among many, have included Breaking the Silence Barrier (cognitive disabilities); Where’s The Cure? (breast cancer activism); Generation Rx (the opioid crisis); Lessons for the Future (public education); Giving While Living (philanthropy); and A Forever Family (Annie E. Casey Foundation). Her creative output encompasses independent projects, as well as extensive work for PBS, network television, cable, syndication and the Internet, along with educational and non-profit films. She was also Executive Producer of the 13-part PBS series, World@Large with David Gergen, as well as producer of the indie feature (and world’s first hyper-linked movie), The Onyx Project, starring acclaimed actor David Strathairn. Early in her career, Gail worked at both CBS 60 Minutes and ABC 20/20.
About Darrell E. Herrmann:
Darrell Herrmann attended Kansas State University and graduated with a B.S. in Physical Science in May of 1976. At this time he also received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army through the ROTC program. In 1984, he was serving as a Captain specializing in Field Artillery and Nuclear Weapons when he experienced a rapid onset of symptoms that would later be diagnosed as schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia and Nuclear Weapons don’t go together very well so he was retired from the army. Darrell returned to Kansas State University to pursue a degree in Computer Science and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in December 1986. Darrell held a variety of jobs with several large companies and moved to Columbus, Ohio in April 1995 for a job with Bank One, now Chase, and has remained here since.
In November 2019 Darrell wrote and published a book titled Straight Talk About Living With A Severe Mental Illness. Darrell authored NSSC’s popular Guide, A Peer’s Guide To Psychosis And Psychotic Illnesses. Please visit Resources – Guide to Psychotic Illnesses.
Since December 2023 Darrell has been active with the National Shattering Silence Coalition and a major contributor to the organization, accepting the position of Ohio Policy Director in June of 2024.
About Tyeesha Ferguson:
Ms. Ferguson is an advocate for serious mental illness (SMI) based on her life experience of advocating for her adult son most of his life. She has been interviewed by NPR and local news with Columbus, Ohio, for challenges and advocacy needs. Systemic failures turn state mental hospitals into prisons : Shots – Health News : NPR
About Danielle Smith:
Danielle Smith, MSW, MA, LSW, CAE, is an experienced executive director with over 17 years of leadership in social work, association management, and government relations. As Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Ohio Chapter since 2011, Danielle has championed social justice initiatives, transforming the chapter into a leading voice for social justice in Ohio. She has led numerous advocacy campaigns, focusing on issues such as LGBTQIA rights, immigration, and reproductive justice. Danielle is a recognized leader and has been honored with awards, including the 2023 NASW Chapter Executive Director of the Year and the 2023 Women in Government Relations State Campaign of the Year for her work to protect reproductive rights in the lawsuit NASW vs Lebanon, OH.
Event Image Description:
Poster for screening of No One Cares About Crazy People on March 4, 2026 from 7:00-9:00PM. FREE Screening and a discussion after the film! At the Wexner Center for the Arts 1871 North High Street Columbus, Ohio. Sponsored by Art Possible Ohio, Ohio Arts Council, GCAC, Harry C. Moores, The Columbus Foundation, COTA and ADAMH. In partnership with the Wexner Center for the Arts.