HOLDEN ON

TICKETS for HOLDEN ON at Roxie Sun Feb 4, 7p HERE

TICKETS for HOLDEN ON at Roxie Tue Feb 6 915p HERE

Director Tamlin Hall – 2017 USA 101 min Bay Area Premiere – Drama / Youth

No longer your average boy-next-door, Holden Layfield weaves audiences through his harrowing tale in this film set in the early 1990s. After succumbing to a secret battle with mental illness, Holden evolves from a beloved, small town Georgia football player to a lost, self-medicating prophet. Based on a true story about dual diagnosis. – Jennifer Junkyard Morris

Director Statement

I KNEW HOLDEN…
Because we grew up together in small-town Georgia. He was “that” guy everyone liked, even teachers. He was friendly. He was cool. He accepted you for who you were, not who you weren’t. Whether you were popular or not, as in my case, Holden treated everyone as a friend. As one of the “fat” kids growing up, I was routinely bullied. Holden always looked past my stigma and treated me like an ally rather than an enemy. Looking back, I’m sure you had a “Holden” at your school. So, it was an utter shock that autumn afternoon my junior year when I found out Holden died by suicide. He was 19 years old. It wasn’t until I set out to write a paper about Holden in my psychology class senior year did I learn about the secret behind Holden’s smile. His facade masked a story that dealt with mental illness and self-medication. Ten years after that psychology class project, I asked Bob & Brenda Layfield if I could write a screenplay about their son. They said yes. I am forever grateful.

We currently have an award-winning lm, “Holden On,” and a high school art initiative, iAmHoldenOn, that uses Holden’s humanity to spark social change. I believe we can use our voice through art to help discuss mental health and suicide. And I believe we can save some lives while we’re at it. Let’s be the ally.

My name is Tamlin Hall and #iAmHoldenOn