A new film that documents mental health issues facing new Haitian immigrants and their families in the United States will premiere at a free screening on Sunday, Aug. 12 at UMass-Boston's Lipke Auditorium. The film, entitled Monsieur l’Economiste, starts at 6 p.m.

The movie tells a tale of complex relationships and human emotion, is also most importantly, an educational film detailing immigrant experiences in USA and the issue of mental health in the Haitian community. It is the product of a collaboration between the Haitian Media Network, the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Haitian American Public Health Initiatives (HAPHI), a local agency serving the Haitian community.

The film was selected among over 150 project proposals nationwide presented to New Routes to Community Health, the entity that received a grant from the Robert Wood Foundation (RWF), based in Washington, DC, to deliver projects aimed at educating new immigrants about mental health using mass media. The movie, which took four years to produce, was filmed and produced locally with Haitian American actors and video technicians.

A complimentary copy of the movie DVD will also be distributed to event attendees. Showings of the film are also being planned for Brockton, Cambridge, Florida, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Montreal and Haiti.

Free admission tickets will be available in Haitian businesses and community centers.