Before the Moon Falls

Mental Health Awareness + AANHPI Heritage Month Event:
With post film discussion lead by clinical psychologist Dr. Qianhui Zhang

Directed by Kimberlee Bassford
IG: beforethemoonfallsdocumentary

CONTENT ADVISORY: This film contains references to mental illness, sexual abuse, suicide and violence.

An intimate portrait of acclaimed Samoan writer Sia Figiel eight years in the making when tragedy struck. The film offers an in-depth and thought-provoking look at Sia’s tumultuous journey leading to that traumatic moment, illuminating the complexities of inconsistently treated mental illness and the devastating toll it can exact on individuals, families and entire communities.

Winner, Best Feature, DOCUTAH International Film Festival, 2026
Winner, Grand Jury Prize, Festival International du Film documentaire Océanian (FIFO), 2026
Winner, Best Made in Hawai‘i Feature, Hawai‘i International Film Festival, 2025

Dr. Qianhui Zhang, Ph.D., (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist and staff psychologist at the Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) at the Northwestern University since 2016. At CAPS, she provides individual and group therapy, training, and community-based programming, and her work is grounded in trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and culturally responsive framework. Her clinical expertise includes varied forms of trauma, grief/loss, disordered eating and body image, depression/anxiety, and mental health stigma among college student population. She provides professional training and programming around the decolonization of mental health practices, race-related stress/trauma, intergenerational trauma, cross-cultural adjustment and immigration stress. Since joining CAPS, she serves as mental health liaison with the international student and Asian American student populations on the Evanston campus.