“One of the best documentaries of the year…Whether or not you believe these psychics are communing with the dead, the interactions with their clients feel genuinely emotional in a way that is hard to dismiss entirely.”
— Sam Adams, Slate
In Partnership With:
A group of New York City psychics conduct deeply intimate readings for their clients, revealing a kaleidoscope of loneliness, connection, and healing.
Q&A with community leaders following the screening.
Dr. Charmain Jackman – CEO, InnoPsych and Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Charmain Jackman (she/her) is an award-winning psychologist, TEDx speaker, author, and leadership coach with over two decades of experience in mental health. She is a visionary entrepreneur, storyteller, and a global mental health advocate. As the founder of InnoPsych, she is empowering lives by connecting individuals with therapists of color, transforming the narrative around therapy, and championing emotional well-being in the workplace. Dr. Jackman has supported the wellbeing of artists for over 20 years and consults with arts institutions to integrate a trauma-informed/care-forward approach into their productions and organizational culture. Dr. Jackman’s impactful work has garnered numerous accolades including the 2025 Boston Business Journal’sInnovators in Healthcare award and the 2021 American Psychological Association’s (APA) Citizen Psychologist Award. As a media contributor, Dr. Jackman has been featured on national media outlets including the Oprah Daily, CNN, New York Times, NPR, Forbes, Essence, Black Enterprise, HuffPost, PBS, Shondaland, and the Boston Globe. She is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, trained as a pediatric forensic psychologist at Harvard Medical School, and is a proud alum of Goldman Sachs’ Black in Business program. Dr. Jackman’s debut book, The Black Therapist’s Guide to Private Practice and Entrepreneurship equips BIPOC therapists with the tools to build profitable businesses. Dr. Jackman is a board member of the Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CFJJ) and is an appointed member of the Massachusetts 988 Commission.
Dr. Lloyd Sheldon Johnson – Psychic Practitioner
Dr. Lloyd Sheldon Johnsonhas been nationally recognized for his work in diversity, human relations, and education. Professor Emeritus of both Psychology and English at Bunker Hill Community College, Johnson has received many awards and recognitions for teaching excellence. He developed courses in African literature and Middle East literature through grants provided by the U.S. Office of Education. He has been a regular resource faculty member for learning communities at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
The multidimensional Johnson, a seer-visionary-healer, is a Reiki Master, hypnotherapist, counselor, and teacher. He holds many certifications in New Age modalities and many awards for professional achievements. His research interests include the study of spirituality, the education of urban males, the integration of spirituality into higher education pedagogy, and alternative therapies for health and wholeness. He engages such topical issues as: race and gender, conflict management and resolution, moral and ethical dilemmas in the workplace, violence prevention, recruitment and retention of faculty and students of color, and inclusive counseling and intervention.
Governor Charlie Baker recently presented Johnson with the esteemed Manuel Carballo Award for public service to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2016.
Anny Thach – Social/visual/poetic artist, educator, and storyteller
Anny Thach (she/welcomes all pronouns) is a social/visual/poetic artist, educator, and storyteller whose work centers inner narratives around politicalized identities. Anny is Vietnamese, Cambodian, with a dash of Chinese American, born and raised in Dorchester. She graduated from College of the Holy Cross with a BA in Political Science and Asian Studies. In 2020, she was a part of an Intergenerational Bilingual Storytelling Project (Viet Family Stories), where she had the opportunity to share her experiences about the Vietnamese diaspora through poetry, presentations, and workshops. Anny honed her communication and organizational skills in daycares, classrooms, and community spaces. Her experiences as an educator with a diverse background encompassing health equity, special education, and creativity equip her to build community while empowering young people. She views art and education as vehicles to create safe spaces with and for youth. Outside of the classroom, she works as a freelance artist collaborating with her local community organizations such as the AARW (Asian American Resource Workshop), to support initiatives regarding Immigration and Deportation Defense by developing workshops on the process of Zine Making, Mural Painting, or Poster/Postcard making. Anny balances between light-hearted conversations and meaningful conversations that deepen the connection between people.
Lisa Simmons – Moderator; Artistic/Executive Director – Roxbury International Film Festival
Lisa Simmons is the Artistic Director of the Roxbury International Film Festival
(RoxFilm) whose mission is to screen films that celebrate people of color around the world and use film as a catalyst for conversation and action while supporting
filmmakers who are creating media aligned with the mission. The Festival, now in its 25th year, has screened over 1300 films and produces two screening series: Shared Stories Film Series, using film to show that we are more alike than we are different, with Cinefest Latino Boston and the Boston Asian American Film Festival and the Healing Arts Film & Conversation Series, with the Wellness Collaborative, Inc., using films focused on the health and well being of Black and Brown communities to raise awareness and spark dialogue. Ms. Simmons has also produced theater and film in the Boston area and has published and presented about the WPA’s Negro Theater Project that existed between 1935-1939 in Boston, MA. Ms. Simmons is the Program Manager for the Communities Initiative at the Mass Cultural Council overseeing the administration and grant funding for the Local Cultural Council Program, Cultural Districts and the Festivals Program. She is the recipient of several awards including: GK Top 100 Influential People of Color, Image Award from Women in Film New England, Diversity award from Our Place Theater Project, Leadership award from the Urban League Guild of Eastern Massachusetts, The President’s Award for Leadership from Dimock Community Health Center and the Community Award from Boston Arts Academy. She was an advisory member of The Deena Larson Exhibition presented at the ICA and is an advisory board member of The Loop Lab and former board member of Mass Humanities.
“I had never seen a psychic before making this film.
But on November 9, 2016, I found myself standing in a desolate strip mall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I’d just completed filming for a project about Election Night, and on the morning after Donald Trump was elected president, I, like so many people around the world, was devastated.
Look Into My Eyes is less an exploration of psychic
tradition and more a portrait of human tradition; it shows, since humankind began and as long as we’ll ever exist, our need to have witnesses to better see ourselves.”
Lana Wilson
Lana Wilson is a director and writer. Her work includes After Tiller, an Emmy-winning feature documentary about the four most-targeted abortion doctors in America; The Departure, a Spirit Award-nominated feature documentary about a punk-turned-priest who helps suicidal people find reasons to live; A Cure for Fear, an IDA Award-nominated short-form series; and Miss Americana, a critically acclaimed documentary about global icon Taylor Swift. Wilson’s most recent documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, was a New York Times Critic’s Pick and nominated for two Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program. Wilson is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Partners
Shared Stories is a spring film series that seeks to build community, shared conversation, and experiences through cinema. This series aspires to create a shared space to find commonality across experiences, and encourage the exchange of stories and ideas. Presented by ArtsEmerson in collaboration with the Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF), CineFest Latino Boston, and the Roxbury International Film Festival (RoxFilm).
New England’s Largest Asian American Film Festival
The Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF) empowers Asian Americans through film by showcasing Asian American experiences and serving as a resource to filmmakers and the Greater Boston Community. BAAFF is a co-production of Asian American Resource Workshop and ArtsEmerson.
The Roxbury International Film Festival (ROXFILM) is the largest festival in New England celebrating people of color around the world. Over nine days, the festival presents narrative and documentary features, shorts, animation, experimental, and youth films. The festival holds workshops, panel discussions, discussions with filmmakers, and networking opportunities. ROXFILM is a competitive festival.
CineFest Latino Boston LLC is an annual film festival conducted in Boston, highlighting stories by and about Latinos. The festival is committed to using the power of film to break stereotypes, bring cultures and communities together and reveal the complex issues affecting the Latinx community in the United States, as well as communities in Latin America and Spain.
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Dr. Charmain Jackman – CEO, InnoPsych and Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Lloyd Sheldon Johnson – Psychic Practitioner
Anny Thach – Social/visual/poetic artist, educator, and storyteller
Lisa Simmons – Moderator; Artistic/Executive Director – Roxbury International Film Festival
