21st January 2003

A new film festival is being organised by Mental Health Media, Rethink and The Documentary Filmmakers Group. It is scheduled to run at the ICA in London on 19th - 22th June 2003 and will screen films about various aspects of mental distress.

The festival will showcase different genres of films including authored narratives by survivors of psychiatry and mental distress, feature films, documentaries and films that cross boundaries - experimenting with both form and content. It is hoped that the selection of films, together with special talks, seminars and workshops, will lead to an interesting and informed debate about mental distress both historically and contemporaneously here in the UK and across the world.

Mental health problems are still enveloped in a climate of misinformation, stereotypes and stigma. It is hoped that by bringing a film festival of this nature to both mainstream and fringe audiences a serious attempt can be made at educating individuals, encouraging them to either re-evaluate the preconceptions they hold, or to inform them about phenomena which they are not normally exposed to. More than this though, the festival is a celebration of the human spirit and will present stories that enlighten, awaken interest, and entertain. Broadly, the aims of the festival are as follows:

• To disseminate information to the general public about mental distress through the screening of films.



• To give a voice to this area of filmmaking that is often ignored by mainstream broadcasters.



• To give a platform to survivors who have made films about their experience of mental distress.



• To promote issues surrounding mental distress to the education sector by inviting schools to attend special screenings and workshops.

Throughout the festival, we hope to have seminars led by speakers who will be discussing various issues surrounding mental health in the media, as well as individuals' personal accounts of mental illness.

ends


Notes to editors:

1) Contact Katie Brudenell or Rachel Bailey at Mental Health Media for more information:

Mental Health Media
356 Holloway Road
London N7 6PA

Phone: 020 7700 8171
Fax: 020 7686 0959

2) Mental Health Media is a unique communications organisation which challenges discrimination around mental health by promoting the voice of mental health service users in all media.

3) Mental Health Media offers a range of video and new media training materials, provides media skills training courses, runs the annual Mental Health Media Awards and works with journalists and broadcasters to inform their coverage of mental health issues.