Many know Kofi Siriboe for his roles in television series like Queen Sugar and Snowfall. Meanwhile, others may know Siriboe for his appearance in the 2017 smash hit, Girls Trip. Going forward, many know him for being the director of the documentary, WTF Is Mental Health? WTF Is Mental Health is the Los Angeles native’s debut as a director and his film is extremely important in discussing the intersection of Blackness and mental health in American society. The documentary short explores the urgency of mental health care, the ever evolving discussion surrounding the topic and trials people face everyday when dealing with mental health. In just five short minutes, the visual work asks questions like, “How does the Black community deal with the stigma surrounding mental health?” It also asks, “What are the realities of Black people dealing with mental health?” Most notably it asks, “What the f*ck is mental health?”
The short film is a passion project for Siriboe who spoke about the film today. In an interview with The Huffington Post, the director said, “It’s the companion piece to ‘Jump,’ a short film I made after a mentor and big brother figure died by suicide, just before I got the call that I’d been cast in ‘Queen Sugar.’ I started working on this beautiful, emotional show and felt how liberating it was to channel my fears into art. As I began to mold ‘Jump,’ I realized the true conversation I was craving centered on young black people who are figuring out this mental health thing, too.” Siriboe added, “A lot of our project is just asking questions, and I think with the questions they’re able to give us answers and able to define these definitions for ourself rather than what we’re accustomed to being told.”
Siriboe’s work is now available on YouTube. Check out the full piece above.
