The Tagore Center Foundation, in partnership with Pembroke Taparelli Arts & Film Festival (PTAFF), announces the Rooted in Wellness: An Event for Communities of Color. The event is open to the public and will take place on Saturday, June 17, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Tagore Center Foundation located at 3850 Ashburnham Dr., Houston, TX 77082.

The Rooted in Wellness festival will promote diverse modalities of health and wellness to communities of color through a variety of events including breath work, yoga, a selection of short and feature length documentaries, short films and panel discussions that highlight issues such as mental health, nutrition, exercise and community health initiatives. Additionally, the event will also feature food trucks performances by local artists, and networking opportunities with the filmmakers, community leaders, and health and wellness professionals.

“We’re thrilled to host Rooted in Wellness in Houston,” said Tagore Center Foundation’s Executive Director Sailaja Bandyopadhyay. “The festival provides an important platform for filmmakers, health professionals, and community members to come together and explore these important issues.”

“Rooted in Wellness sends the message to a diverse community of color the awareness of how positive beliefs, comfort, and strength gained from religion, meditation, and prayer can contribute to our wellbeing. The short documentary films are designed to present several examples of how spirituality may enhance public health interventions designed to promote health and prevention,” said Tagore Center Foundation’s President Ruma Acharya.

The Rooted in Wellness audience will enjoy powerful films that explore health and wellness in communities of color including:

Food Apartheid directed by Alan J. Chriest, founder of the PowerSplash Project, a film company committed to creating projects with themes on mental health, teen bullying, teen pregnancy, school shootings, grief support, fake news, and the importance of participating in the political system.

Di Ankh: The Science of Kemetic Yoga by Gaile C. Ferguson. This documentary promotes living your best life by exploring diet, spiritual awareness and Kemetic Yoga.

“We are looking forward to sharing the incredible work that filmmakers from all backgrounds are doing to promote health and wellness in communities of color,” said PTAFF Program Director Michelle Smith. “We believe that film is a powerful tool for education and advocacy, and we are excited to share these films with the Houston community.”

Rooted in Wellness is free to the public, but registration is requested. To register, visit this link.