Arcadia Public Library will host an online screening of the documentary, “Visions of Warriors,” written, produced, and directed by Ming Lai and released by Humanist Films. This moving and insightful film will be available online from Monday, July 20 through Saturday, Aug. 1. Call (626) 821-4364 for the link and password for the screening and for information about an upcoming online panel discussion.
“Visions of Warriors” enters the minds of four veterans from the Vietnam War era to the Iraq War who are battling against mental illness — Mark Pinto, Homerina “Marina” Bond, Ari Sonnenberg, and Priscila “Peni” Bethel. They participate in the groundbreaking Veteran Photo Recovery Project at the VA Menlo Park and use innovative photography therapy to treat their moral injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, and other mental illnesses. The documentary also profiles the Veteran Photo Recovery Project team — founder and nurse practitioner Susan Quaglietti, art therapist Jeff Stadler, clinical social worker Ryan Gardner, and clinical psychologist Kristen McDonald. With a non-linear narrative structure to mirror the veterans’ shattered lives, the documentary alternates between the veterans and the mental health providers. It also introduces other dynamic veterans who participated in the program.
Ultimately, “Visions of Warriors” is a universal story about the strength of the human spirit.
Arcadia Public Library’s showing of this moving and insightful film is part of the Community Conversations with Veterans Initiative. Community Conversations with Veterans is a partnership between California Center for the Book and Veterans Connect at the Library. California Center for the Book is a program of the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
For more information, call (626) 821-4364, or visit the Arcadia Public Library’s website at ArcadiaCA.gov/library.
