Overview: The film focuses drug addiction and recovery

Jack had a successful career as an Anesthetist but behind closed doors he struggled with his own drug addiction. This is his story.

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Film Block 1

Overview: This is a short film/documentary that talks about how the year 2020 affected black men. It is a follow-up to our previous documentary, "I'm Good Bro: Unmasking Black Male Depression."

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Film Block 1

Overview: Rural America faces a significant mental health crisis, characterized by higher rates of mental illness and suicide compared to urban areas, alongside limited access to proper treatment. While the idyllic imagery of rural life persists, the reality for many residents paints a different picture. Yet amidst these challenges, hope emerges through partnerships with horses.

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Film Block 1

Overview: In a dark turn of his life, Malik, who once lit up his world with laughter and joy, finds himself adrift in the shadow of depression. One day, overwhelmed with sadness, he recalls an old painting he once saw, that of a clown with melancholic eyes. This short film takes us deep into Malik's solitude, at the moment he sees himself in the sad clown, a poignant symbol of his own inner battle. Through evocative imagery and moments of loaded silence, we share an intimate fragment of his emotional journey, swinging between pain and hope, darkness and a glimmer of light.

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Film Block 2

Overview: ‘The Edge of Reality’ tells the dramatised story of 17 year old Ben whose life hangs in the balance between a normal life at college and developing a psychotic disorder.

The films purpose is to raise awareness of young people suffering with ‘At Risk Mental States (ARMS)’ and to help these young people find support early to minimise the distress and impact that unusual experiences can have.

North Staffordshire NHS Early Detection Interventions and Engagement (EDIE) is a relatively new service so the film will also be used to train GPs, mental health professionals and colleges about young people with ARMS and the support EDIE can offer.

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Film Block 2

Overview: Feel It All chronicles professional skier Drew Petersen’s journey from the depths of suicidal depression to the resilience and strength found in running—and skiing the peaks surrounding—the Leadville Trail 100 ultramarathon. The mission is to change culture and shred the stigma of mental health and suicide.

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Film Block 2

Overview: A young woman battles with the consequences of her psychiatrist prescribing her excess medication.

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Film Block 3

Overview: Luca is eight years old and his mother has recently taken her own life. In the traumatic aftermath of his mother's death, he continues to see her. The father tries to explain that the mother is dead and gone forever. For Luca, his mother is real and still alive.

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Film Block 3

Overview:

When celebrity psychologist Larry Gatlin returns to his home state of Wisconsin to receive an award for his work fighting the stigma of mental illness, all is not well. An unexpected turn with his estranged sister and personal demons collide, creating a narrative that goes beyond the surface of celebration.

"The Last Rung on the Ladder" is the short film adaptation from the 1978 Stephen King short story, co-written by Max Blaska and Karla S. Bryant. Blaska received permission and extension from the King organization through the "Dollar Baby" program. As the initiative was discontinued in 2024, "The Last Rung on the Ladder" is among the last of the Dollar Baby films.

Film Block 3

Overview: While battling against decades old depression and recent loss, artist Sally Edelstein finds the perpetual care she was seeking as she visits her Jewish family's cemetery

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Film Block 4

Overview: Life of Abundance is a short film depicting the Black experience surrounding grief, loss, and community healing in Harlem, New York. The documentary follows a diverse group of Black Harlem residents who participated in a series of focus groups on grief hosted by Columbia University. The film juxtaposes the backdrop of Harlem residents sharing stories of grief and overcoming within the context of Columbia University researchers studying grief as a topic of research. In light of COVID-19 and so many institutional losses since, Life of Abundance offers a complex and poetic snapshot where research and lived experience collide, and how Black people make meaning of their own lives after experiencing the death of a loved one.

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Film Block 4

Overview: A documentary telling a story of a young man named Won Soen. After he has decided to break the cycle of self-destruction and a path to addiction, he has started to look for ways to avoid the noise and chaos around him. As well as to manage the stress of a very demanding job, which happens to also be his passion. What turned out to work for him is considered extreme by many others. But it is definitely a step on the road to completness.

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Film Block 4