Area residents are encouraged to check their calendars and make plans on Tues., Oct. 29 to attend a free screening of the documentary movie Angst, Raising Awareness around Anxiety.

Becker Public Schools is sponsoring the event as a resource for parents to learn more about the effects of anxiety on a student’s ability to learn. Funding for the program was made available through a PrairieCare Mental Health Grant received by the school district last spring.

According to a press release from the film producers, Angst “is an empowering film and evidence-based online program designed to illuminate the challenges of anxiety and equip viewers with practical strategies to identify, manage, and address stress, loneliness, and suicide. Angst creates a safe and nurturing space for these conversations, fostering belonging, understanding, and resilience in the community.”

The movie features World Champion Swimmer Michael Phelps, experts in the field, and regular teenagers.

Angst delves into all aspects of today’s most common mental health challenges through:

● Candid interviews with kids and teens who discuss their anxiety, its impacts on their lives and relationships, and how they’ve found solutions and hope;

● Expert perspectives (from institutions such as Stanford University and Child Mind Institute) about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects and resources to help;

● Exercises, tips, and strategies to help reset thinking patterns, push back against anxiety, and support others.

“Many people don’t understand how debilitating mental illness truly can be, and even more than that, how common it is, yet people are afraid to have serious discussions about it,” Phelps says in a promo for the film. “I welcomed the opportunity to be a part of Angst to further the dialogue around mental health, help people understand the impact of anxiety on our mental state, and encourage people, especially kids, to ask for help.”

The evening will start with free pizza and a resource fair commencing at 5:30 p.m., while the movie will start at 6:15 p.m. Attendees are asked to enter through the PAC doors in front of the high school.