A Healing Arts Film Series
INNERsections offers a communal space to intersect arts, health, and humanities through film and dialogue. Featuring documentaries, performances, interviews, and personal narratives, the series explores a range of health topics that shape individual and community well-being.
Each screening is followed by a conversation through the voices of filmmakers, artists, healthcare professionals, researchers, and community partners, offering a grounded discussion across perspectives. By examining how our experiences influence our perceptions of ourselves and others, these conversations foster shared understanding and spark meaningful dialogue during audience Q&A.
| Date & Time | Film |
|---|---|
| Monday, Sept. 21 9:00 am – 2:00 pm | PATHS A community-driven project, housed in the Center for Community and Public Health at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as they experience grief and loss. |
| Sunday, Sept. 27 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | And We Rest on Giants A short documentary screening and panel conversation presented in recognition of National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm | The Change Begins An 80-minute feature-length first episode of The Change: Unleashing the Wild Woman documentary series about the stages of menopause, symptoms, treatment options, and integrative approaches to women’s health. |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Concrete Glass A documentary by Houston filmmaker Andonnia of Annlettered, produced by Corlon Evans of Foundry House Media. This powerful new film explores the maternal health crisis through the voices and lived experiences of Black women, highlighting both the resilience and challenges of navigating motherhood within a flawed healthcare system. |
Program Details
PATHS is a community-driven project, housed in the Center for Community and Public Health at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as they experience grief and loss.
Program Agenda
| 8:45 am | Doors open |
| 9:00 am | Films 1, 2 & panel begin |
| 10:00 am | Films 3, 4 & panel begin |
| 11:00 am | Sound bath & break |
| 12:15 pm | Lunch provided by Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research |
| 1:30 pm | Films 5, 6 & panel |
Loss can include the death of a loved one, but also changes such as losing a pet, a job, a home, or important belongings. Many people with IDD are not included in conversations about grief, and there are very few resources designed with their needs in mind. Paths is working to change that by creating accessible, bilingual resources that help people understand and cope with loss.
These short videos and companion booklets explore different types of loss and ways people can find support. These resources are designed for adults with IDD as well as the people who support them, including family members, caregivers, and direct support professionals.
PATHS is led by researchers at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and developed in close collaboration with community partners, advocates, and people with lived experience. By working together, the project aims to create resources that are compassionate, culturally responsive, and truly useful to the community.
Special Thanks to
This work was initially supported in part by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD) through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C. 20201, with a 100% federal funding award totaling $6,120,128. The contents do not necessarily represent official views or endorsements from TCDD, ACL, HHS, the Texas state government, or the U.S. government.
Disclaimer: Due to the sensitivity of the topic, those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. These workshops are intended for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Coming Up in the Series
And We Rest on Giants is a 15-minute documentary and love letter that offers an intimate, powerful exploration of people of color aging and thriving as long-term survivors of HIV. In communities too often burdened by stigma, the film serves as both a balm and a call to action, centering stories of resilience, truth, and radical joy. Through first-person narratives and layered spoken word, it uplifts the lived experiences of those who continue to thrive unapologetically despite systemic barriers.
Since its premiere, the film has garnered national and international recognition, earning official selections at 14 film festivals and awards, including Best Short Documentary at the 2024 National Black Film Festival and the 2024 Black Alphabet Film Festival, as well as 2nd Runner-Up at the 2025 Black Auteur Film Festival. Beyond its accolades, And We Rest on Giants has sparked meaningful conversations about HIV and aging in spaces where sexual health is too often overlooked. It is a love letter to those who continue to live, a tribute to those we’ve lost, and a reminder of the work that remains.
Panelist
Steven Vargas
Titan Capri
Dr. Bethsheba Johnson
Moderated by
Founder & CEO,
The T.R.U.T.H. Project
This powerful conversation will center the lives, experiences, resilience, and wisdom of gay men who are long-term HIV survivors and thrivers.
Since its initial screening in January, the documentary has been expanded and reimagined as The Change Begins, the feature-length debut episode of The Change: Unleashing the Wild Woman documentary series.
The new film welcomes Dr. Kourtney Sims alongside Dr. Selena Lalji, adding greater depth to conversations about menopause, including its stages, symptoms, treatment options, and integrative approaches to women’s health. A board-certified OB-GYN and obesity medicine physician with national certifications in menopause and functional medicine, Dr. Sims brings valuable medical expertise and perspective to the discussion.
The feature also examines how decades of women’s health advocacy and research have shaped the evolution of menopausal care, providing important context for the state of women’s healthcare today. More than an update, The Change Begins marks the launch of a documentary series and the next chapter in an essential conversation about women’s health and aging.
Program Panelists
Nutritionist
Board Certified Physician
Physician
Producer & Director
Gibbs Media Group
Join us for the premiere of Concrete Glass, a powerful 20-30 minute new documentary that sheds light on the maternal health crisis through the voices and lived experiences of Black women. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring experts and creatives. The film was created by local filmmaker Andonnia of Annlettered and produced by Corlon Evans of Foundry House Media.
About the film
In America, becoming a mother is more than the joy associated with baby showers. For Black women, it is often the veil between life and death, between trauma and triumph. Through firsthand accounts, Concrete Glass documents the strength and fragility of Black women on a journey toward motherhood despite a flawed and problematic system.
Program Panelists
Program Tickets
Tickets are $8 for members and $18 for non-members.
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Rose Tylinski
Healing Arts Program Managerrtylinski@thehealthmuseum.org713.337.8461Please reach out for questions or information about this event
1515 Hermann Drive
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