(Mason City, Iowa) – North Iowa Area Community College will host a screening of TWO WAYS HOME on Friday, September 17, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. in the North Iowa Community Auditorium on the NIACC campus.

TWO WAYS HOME follows Kathy (Tanna Frederick), a woman newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder who is released from prison on good behavior and returns to her country home in Iowa to reconnect with her estranged 12-year-old daughter (Rylie Behr) and her cantankerous elderly grandfather (Tom Bower). Her return home is a turbulent and unwelcome transition in which Kathy must come to terms with her diagnosis and its implications – while also realizing that her family was happier when she was gone. As she struggles to keep her head above water, conflict with her family intensifies, putting her self-worth and well-being to the ultimate test. TWO WAYS HOME is a moving film that pulls no punches while compassionately addressing life with mental illness. With an original screenplay by Richard Schinnow, TWO WAYS HOME was filmed and produced entirely in Iowa.

Director Ron Vignone and Actress/Producer Tanna Frederick’s independent film has won numerous awards as the nation is seeing a rise in reports by the media regarding mental illness. Their movie highlights Bipolar Disorder while also touching on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The narrative explores what society has deemed, until just recently, a taboo subject—mental illness. TWO WAYS HOME both educates the audience about Bipolar Disorder while bringing awareness. Frederick and Vignone are collaborating with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) who work tirelessly to remove judgment and stigma from mental illness.

The screening on Friday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. is open to the public. All tickets are $5 and proceeds from the sales will be donated to NAMI on Campus, an organization providing mental health resources to NIACC students. To purchase tickets, call the NIACC Box Office at 1-888-466-4222, extension 4188. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.niacc.edu/boxoffice.

TWO WAYS HOME was originally scheduled as part of the North Iowa Behavioral Healthcare Summit, which aims to increase public awareness of behavioral health issues that affect individuals, families, and the communities they live in, and to reduce the stigma that serves as a barrier to treatment and intervention. Past conferences have covered addiction, recovery, mental health in adolescents, and meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ patients. The summit, intended for nurses, EMS, social workers, mental health professionals, drug and alcohol abuse counselors, and other health care providers, offers continuing education credits while also increasing the resources and knowledge available to providers in North Iowa.

To learn more about the Behavioral Healthcare Summit, visit www.niacc.edu/BHS. To learn more about “Two Ways Home,” visit www.twowayshomemovie.com.

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