Filmmaker Foustene Fortenbach on the Most Personal Work She’s Ever Made
Gabby Bernstein has had quite the year so far. She just released a brand new book that will be enjoyed by so many readers searching for their own spiritual path, and this month she can be found on the cover of Bella Magazine’s Mind, Body and Spirit Issue. The Issue is a powerful tribute to the steps necessary for a peaceful mind, and Bernstein is the perfect face for the cover.
On Thursday morning, Bella Magazine celebrated the launch of this cover by hosting a brilliant cover release party. The event was held at a rooftop lounge complete with complimentary skincare, body sculpting, drinks and cheese platters. All guests were incredibly stylish and thrilled to be celebrating the launch of such a meaningful cover.
This issue is so important nowadays, as with constant changing times, a clear headspace is more important than ever, and the Bella Magazine team has worked so hard to create such a great vision. The afternoon continued with insightful talks and we were all given bags that included gifts from Bio True, Desert Harvest, and more!
We cannot recommend the new Bella Magazine issue more! Read all about it and learn more about what Mind, Body and Spirit can mean to you here!
Facts are facts. Life still is not the same. For nearly two years now a vast majority of America is still feeling a tremendous sense of anxiety, depression and even body aches that have manifested out of all these feelings.
As 2022 rolls in, the upcoming winter olympics are sparking many important conversations about mental health and wellness. Former Olympic gymnast Nia Dennis is making it her goal to focus on self care through a series of small changes that combine to form big ones. The message she is sending out in this process is a great one, and she’s kicking off the year with a partnership with Pressed.
“This year it’s not about making big resolutions but taking small steps to make big changes. and my first step is getting more fruits and veggies into my day.” Dennis said. “To do that, I’m so excited to announce my new partnership with Pressed and share my new Limited-Edition Nia Dennis Routine featuring my three favorite Pressed juices and three Pressed well-being shots.
The Limited-Edition Nia Dennis Routine is the perfect mix to nourish my body and get antioxidants, and vitamins into my daily routine. The Routine includes three Pressed juices- Greens 2 juice, Citrus 2 juice, Strawberry Orange Mango Smoothie and three wellness shots- Vitality, Probiotic and Recovery.”
We sat down with Nia to talk more in depth about the partnership and what the true meaning of redefining self care looks like. Additionally, we touched on her upcoming projects and her career experiences thus far. Check out the conversation below!
You can learn more and order the Nia Dennis Routine, part of a paid partnership with Pressed, on pressed.com. The Routine is available online or in-store.
Gaspar Noé has always been a challenging filmmaker.
Content Warning: Eating Disorders. Body horror is a traditionally excellent way to depict anxiety.
With so much buzz at the moment over Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey’s new Apple TV+ show “The Me You Can’t See,” focus has been placed on mental health in ways never witnessed before in modern history. It’s great that people are even just talking about the topic.
‘Ok not to be ok’ – ironically, the lyrics to Demi Lovato’s latest single and soundtrack behind the trailer of MTV’s newest film, ‘Pink Skies Ahead’ completely reflect the attitude of this coming of age movie that surrounds a young woman dealing with an anxiety disorder.
Based on an essay from her 2017 book, ‘When You Find Out The World Is Against: And Other Funny Memories About Awful Moments’, writer/director Kelly Oxford says the idea to transcribe her essay into a script “hit her” after noticing how drawn her readers were to it.
“I was like wow, if I can help readers I should try to get this on screen and help more people and get this story out,” Oxford says of her directorial debut behind ‘Pink Skies Ahead’. “It was really fun to do it, and I knew that I wanted to direct it myself because I had lived through it and it would’ve felt really weird to pass it off to somebody else and watch their version of it…. as the creator and writer, I was very excited to make it my first film.”
That excitement was shared with Greg Silverman, former president of Warner Bros. Pictures turned CEO and founder of Stampede Ventures. Silverman, whose resume includes films such as, ‘A Star Is Born’, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, and ‘The Dark Night’ just to name a few, coins Oxford as a “force”.
“As soon as we started [Stampede Ventures] it was like ok well, who can we get behind that’s gonna’ make a difference and gonna’ make something incredible, and Kelly was the first person that popped into our minds,” Silverman says. “We all are so proud that we were able to be a part of [Oxford’s] first film.”
While the film is set in a 90’s-centric vibe, it deals with an all too common occurrence that everybody can relate to today – this was especially true for actress, and film lead, Jessica Barden.
“Winona was like myself…. I was very defiant, I have anxiety,” Barden says of her character. “I just hope that people watch [Pink Skies ahead], and I wanted this to contribute to people understanding that there isn’t a certain type of person that is going to get anxiety….[or] depression.”
‘Pink Skies Ahead’ follows 20-year-old Winona who struggles with accepting her anxiety disorder diagnosis while managing her life in adulthood as a recent college drop-out still living with her parents. The audience watches Winona’s feeble attempt at ignoring both the physical signs and emotional manifestation of her anxiety, which often leads her into peculiar situations.
All too familiar with dealing with Winona’s struggle within the film, Barden hopes her role can help those who may feel alone in their battle with anxiety and other issues with mental health. “If you get to a place where you can be healthy and own [anxiety], you can do amazing things with it,” says Barden with a smile.
While Lewis Pullman who plays the role of “Ben” and Winona’s love interest expressed not completely connecting to his character, he did get the sense that the audience might.
“I think everyone connects to some character [in Pink Skies Ahead],” Pullman says. “I think [Ben] is a good representation of a scape-goat of [having] this huge thing that needs to be dealt with… [but looking for] some other alleyways that I can postpone this thing that’s haunting me.”
As a part of MTV Entertainment Studios’ newest mental health initiative titled, “Mental Health Is Health”; series’ and films shown on the station will display a diverse range of stories in hopes of de-stigmatizing mental health and promoting behavioral and cultural change.
According to MTVE’s president, Chris McCarthy, “the power of storytelling….can frame the way we look at an issue”, and films such Oxford’s can create “a bigger conversation that leads to systematic change that becomes the norm.”
Tune in to MTV on Saturday, May 8th at 9:00 ET/PT on MTV for the premiere of ‘Pink Skies Ahead’!
Meet Stephanie Carnegie the founder of the non-profit Totality Wellness Inc.
Since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 13, 2020, some have been quarantined for months.
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