Moving Minds

Synopsis

Funded by ICAP charity day, our Moving Minds projects paired young people across mainstream secondary school settings, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) with professional filmmakers to create short films around mental health topics of their choice.

We have curated a selection of films from both projects for Into Film+, which you can use to introduce your pupils to a broad range of mental health themes including anti-bullying, self-esteem, social isolation, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, bereavement, and more.

Titles in the collections are:

Animations on Mental Health 2 (suitable for pupils aged 7+)

Young people discuss the vulnerabilities of living with mental ill health, and how being honest and talking openly with friends and family can be a great help.

Key themes: Introduction to mental health awareness; how to stay mentally healthy

Mental Health Myths (suitable for pupils aged 11+)

Young people use Claymation to discuss and debunk common mental health myths.

Key themes: Introduction to mental health awareness; depression; post-traumatic stress disorder; strategies to stay mentally healthy

Woodland Home (suitable for pupils aged 11+)

Contemplation of nature and its benefits are evoked in this meditation on a shady wood. A woodland is evoked as a place of refuge from the elements and a shelter for those who live within it.

Key themes: Mindfulness; strategies to stay mentally healthy

Behind the Mask (suitable for pupils aged 11+)

This film follows a day in the life of Taylor, an adolescent who suffers from mental health issues. Using a mask to conceal her inner emotions, we see her journey through a day of experiences that trigger her social anxiety, which leads her into wishing to seek professional help.

Key themes: Social isolation; seeking help; strategies to improve mental health; social, academic, and family pressures

The Broken Rose (suitable for pupils aged 11+)

A young woman longs to connect with people and form friendships, but she is isolated and scared. She finds the courage to step outside only to be overwhelmed by the noise and bustle of modern life. Can she find friendship and belonging in an uncaring world?

Key themes: Anxiety; social isolation; positive friendships; seeking help

A Voice Too Small (suitable for pupils aged 11+)

How can a young person deal with bullying when they have a monster battling for control? In the forest of the mind, the monster of negativity looms large. A little voice of self-esteem can be heard, but will this creature grow large enough to overcome the doubts?

Key themes: Anti-bullying; cyber-bullying; self-esteem

Like, Share, Delete (suitable for pupils aged 11+)

Alex is worried about her friend Mary. Seeing her become increasingly isolated from their friends, Alex tries to find out why this is. However, when she uncovers the truth, Alex realises she needs to reconcile with events in her own past in order to help her friend.

Key themes: Emotional and physical abuse; social media; isolation; speaking out