Sue Loncar tenderly flips through a photo album, pausing on images of her daughter, Grace.
“She was so beautiful,” Loncar reminisces, her voice filled with love. “She was so precious. So wanted.”
But in 2016, Loncar tragically lost Grace to suicide.
“I still picture her at 16,” Loncar reflects softly. “She’d be 23 now.”
Loncar is now sharing her family’s heartbreaking journey as the Executive Producer of the poignant documentary, ‘Losing Grace Finding Hope.’
“I think the important message to convey is that depression doesn’t discriminate,” Loncar asserts.
“She truly had it all, by society’s standards,” Loncar continues, her tone heavy with emotion. “She was loved.”
“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” Loncar narrates in the film. “The day we lost Grace.”
“Suicide is an epidemic,” remarks Marcia Carroll, a family friend and the Writer/Producer/Director of ‘Losing Grace Finding Hope.’
“I believe if we don’t shed light on it, we can’t assist others in navigating through it.”
The filmmakers aspire for the documentary to dismantle the stigmas surrounding discussions on mental health.
“Why my precious daughter?” Loncar questions in the film. “On the flip side of that, why not her?”
“For anyone grappling with the loss of a loved one to suicide,” Carroll adds, “we must offer them hope and evidence that healing is possible.”
“We’re not alone, and tackling these challenges together yields better outcomes,” Loncar asserts. “There’s a rainbow at the end of the storm.”
‘Losing Grace Finding Hope’ is a production of the Grace Loncar Foundation. It made its debut at the Greenwich International Film Festival, where it is in contention for a $10,000 Social Impact Grant.
The documentary will be screened at the Dallas International Film Festival on April 30 at 6:00 p.m. and on May 2 at 4:00 p.m.
For individuals in crisis, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-TALK (8355), or text 988 for assistance.
