Please join UCLA’s Friends of the Semel Institute and NAMI Westside Los Angeles Janis Black Warner Speaker Series for an in-person screening of "No One Cares About Crazy People", a feature documentary narrated by actor Bob Odenkirk.

 

Blending intimate storytelling with investigative reportage, the film takes viewers inside the tragedy, chaos, and crisis of severe mental illness in America—and the growing national movement to demand meaningful reform. Inspired by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Ron Powers’ acclaimed book of the same name, the documentary expands the book’s powerful fusion of personal family memoir and searing social history. Powers previously spoke about his work at an in-person Open Mind event in 2017.

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The film follows individuals and families grappling with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and related illnesses; all caught in the maelstrom of a fragmented and failing system of care. At the same time, it explores the rise of a grassroots reform movement determined to transform how the nation responds to severe mental illness.

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California stands at the center of this story. The documentary tracks three years of reform efforts driven by family activists and controversial legislative initiatives introduced by the Governor and state lawmakers. Featured interviews include Governor Gavin Newsom and State Senator Susan Eggman, whose pioneering work is reshaping the conversation around care, treatment, and accountability.

A panel discussion with leading voices in film, advocacy, and public mental health will follow the screening.

 

Panelists

Gail Freedman
Director & Producer
An award-winning documentary filmmaker, Gail Freedman has produced, directed, and written dozens of films over a 25-year career. Her work spans social justice, health care, public policy, and culture, with projects for PBS, network television, cable, and independent distribution. Her films include Hot to Trot, Making the 9/11 Memorial, Generation Rx, and Breaking the Silence Barrier. She has taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and previously worked at CBS 60 Minutes and ABC 20/20.

Bob Odenkirk
Narrator
Actor, comedian, writer, and producer best known for his Emmy-winning performances as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Odenkirk is also the author of Zilot & Other Important Rhymes (2023), a children’s book illustrated by his daughter, Erin Odenkirk.

Teresa Pasquini
Mental Health Advocate
A California-based advocate with over 50 years of lived experience as a family member of loved ones with severe mental illness. Teresa has served on the Contra Costa County Mental Health Commission, co-founded the Behavioral Health Care Partnership at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, and co-authored Housing That Heals, a white paper addressing treatment and housing gaps for people with SMI.

Jonathan E. Sherin, MD, PhD.

Former Director, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
Dr. Sherin led the nation’s largest public mental health system, overseeing a $3 billion annual budget. A longtime advocate for vulnerable populations, he has held leadership roles at the Department of Veterans Affairs and academic appointments at UCLA, USC, and the University of Miami. His contributions to neuroscience and psychiatry include seminal sleep research and a widely recognized model of the psychotic process.

 

*Come early and enjoy freshly baked goods donated by the Depressed Cake Shop, a global mental-health nonprofit that uses cake, coffee, and community to create safe, welcoming spaces to talk about depression, grief, and hope. The Depressed Cake Shop will pop up at UCLA to sell sweets and coffee prior to the screening! 
 

Since the Depressed Cake Shop’s inception in London in 2013, there have been hundreds of pop-ups around the world. Every penny is donated directly to local mental health organizations. 100% of funds from this pop-up will be donated to support the Friends of the Semel Institute and NAMI West Los Angeles. ☕🍰

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"Where there is cake there is hope and there is always cake." 

-- Dean Koontz

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