The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute welcomes Peabody Award-winning producer Bill Lichtenstein for its free screening of Lichtenstein's acclaimed documentary, West 47th Street. Recorded over the course of three years at Fountain House — a renowned psychiatric rehabilitation center in New York City — the film tracks the lives of four people with varying degrees of mental illness: Frances Olivero, who evolves from a cross-dressing street person into an effective advocate for the mentally ill without losing his penchant for flowered skirts and tasteless wigs; Fitzroy Frederick, a formerly-homeless schizophrenic Rastafarian from Trinidad who struggles with a demanding regimen of anti-psychotic drugs; Zeinab Wali, a talented cook whose husband took their children and left her to the streets when she became psychotic; and Nathaniel "Tex" Gordon, a one-time rodeo star who spent the majority of his life in mental institutions and is finally about to enjoy freedom. A discussion with Lichtenstein follows the screening. Thurs., March 29, 7 p.m., Dr. Blaise Alfano Conference Center, 11606 N. McKinley Drive, Tampa, free admission, 813-974-4602, home.fmhi.usf.edu.
Leilani Polk
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2007.