ONE SOUTH is a deeply intimate, two-part observational portrait of an inpatient psychiatric unit at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, NY, specializing in treating young adults. It may look more like a college dorm than a psychiatric hospital, but patients arrive every day in acute crisis. They are dealing with a variety of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and psychosis, and many have contemplated or attempted suicide. A team of doctors, social workers, and nurses work together to stabilize the patients and prepare them to return to the outside world, but time is limited, and there are many obstacles. The two-part film follows the trajectory of hospital admission–from intake through the ups and downs of treatment to discharge–as various patient and provider stories are blended to create a rich portrait of a unique place.

ONE SOUTH previously screened at the DC/DOX Film Festival in Washington D.C. on Friday, June 14th.