ROCKLAND — A screening of the award-winning documentary Outsider, co-presented by Maine Public, will be presented at the Strand Theatre on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 5:30 p.m. The 40-minute film addresses both the tragedy and redemption that can result from mental illness. The 40-minute screening will be followed by a panel discussion and a reception. 

Outsider follows the personal, complex story of artist Maury Ornest, whose life encompassed baseball, schizoaffective disorder, and art. After his death at age 58, his sister Laura discovered more than 1,400 paintings in every room of his home and secret storage units, a discovery which set her on an unexpected journey. Outsider presents a rarely seen, unvarnished view of a family’s journey with mental illness and captures the surprising ways they found connection. 

Directed by Ted Haimes and produced by Ted Haimes and Nicole Lucas Haimes, Outsider won the Audience Award for best short at the Montclair Film Festival. Maury’s journals are narrated by Gary Gulman. 

The panel will include:

-Cynthia Sortwell, MD, a Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist, and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University and Maine Medical Center 

-Laura Ornest, who is on the Advisory Board for the UCLA Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, is a mental health advocate, and sister of Maury Ornest 

-Mia Bogyo, Education Director at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland. 

Moderating the discussion will be Keith Shortall, Maine Public’s Senior Editor. 

At the reception, guests will have the opportunity to see and purchase Maury Ornest’s art and talk with the panelists. All proceeds from the sale of the art will be split between the Strand Theatre and Maine Public.

Tickets are $10/Adults; $8/Seniors and Under 12; and $7/Strand Theatre Members. Tickets are available in advance on the Strand Theatre website, and at the walk-up box office one hour prior to showtime. Find more information and tickets at the Strand’s website at www.rocklandstrand.com. The Strand Theatre is located at 345 Main Street, Rockland. 

Maine Public connects the people of Maine and our region to each other and to the world through the open exchange of information, ideas, and cultural content. Maine Public is proud to co-present this screening of “Outsider” that aligns with their goal to offer quality cultural and entertainment programming through collaborations with other organizations and independent producers.