Short film "Still Here" demonstrates the power of art in healing mental health.
SAN FRANCISCO, October 1, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Art With Impact (AWI) is excited to congratulate Britney Dennison for the film 'Still Here' which is the October 2017 winner, and 40th addition to AWI's OLIVE Film Collection! The short film follows Jason, a man using art to open up and heal wounds of self harm, assault, and bullying as a result of coming out as gay earlier in life.
Britney Dennison works with the Research Advisor for Men's Health Research at the University of British Columbia. She is also the deputy director of the Global Reporting Centre where she specializes in mental health reporting and international journalism, where she has won numerous awards for her work. She started the 'Still Here Project' which consists of interviews with people from the LGBTQ community who share their experiences of depression and suicide. Through the project, the participants created photo essays about their experiences. Jason - who is in the winning film - was one of the participants, and that’s when the idea came to capture that process. This was the moment for Jason to create a body of artwork and get a chance to really tell his story.
Art does open up dialogue and makes people feel comfortable to talk about something that is very difficult to talk about.
Foster Eastman, Artist / Facilitator 'Man-Up Against Suicide'
Thank you Britney and Jason for your work in raising awareness around this important topic! We'd also like to thank HeadsUpGuys for their assistance in getting the world out about our film call in an effort to find film submissions on both the topic of male mental health and mental health experiences within the LGTBQ community.
Are you a filmmaker or mental health advocate with a passion for storytelling? AWI's film competition deadlines run monthly, and upcoming opportunities to submit are Oct. 31 and Nov. 30. All winning films receive a $1,000 cash prize! Learn more here.
Source: Art With Impact
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