MENTAL HEALTH

Films should communicate a message that inspires the viewer to take action. Think of it this way: after someone watches your film, what do you want them to do? How do you want them to feel, act, or think differently? Here are a few examples of calls to action your film could communicate.

• Get The Facts. Your film could illustrate that a diagnosis of mental illness does not define a person and debunk the myths that say mental illness is something to fear or ignore.
  • Fact: Recovery is possible. A person experiencing mental health challenges can live a happy, successful, and productive life.
  • Fact: Anyone can experience a mental illness at some point in their lives. In fact, 1 in 5 people experience a mental health challenge in their lifetime.
• Have A Conversation. Your film can model how to talk about mental health challenges. Show how you recognize that something is going on and how to approach the topic with someone you care about. 
• Talk Openly and Remove Shame. Stigma and fear thrive in silence, so use your film to show people having difficult conversations, being honest about their experiences, asking for help, and saying the things people are afraid to talk about. Encourage families to support young people who are experiencing a mental health challenge, reminding them that they are never a bother, and that there is no shame in getting help.
• Be Supportive. Show how friends or family members can support someone experiencing a mental health challenge. A few examples you can highlight in your film include:
  • Listen or talk with them; “be there” with emotional support
  • Connect your friend or family member to resources and encourage help-seeking
  • Educate yourself about your friend or family member’s illness
  • Support your friend or family member’s healthy behaviors, such as exercising or getting enough sleep
• Don’t Wait To Get Help. More than 1 in 5 youth ages 13 to 18 experiences a mental health challenge, but young people wait 6 to 8 years from the onset of symptoms before getting help. Your film can highlight that treatment and support work and that most people who experience a mental health challenge can recover, especially if treated early.
• Become A Mental Health Advocate. This is a young adult’s issue: mental health challenges most often show up between the ages of 14-24. Your film can demonstrate the importance of young people standing up and speaking up for themselves or those living with a mental health challenge. Show youth wearing the lime green ribbon, telling their story, and using their voice (by speaking up on social media, voting, or volunteering in their community) to help reduce stigma and create more equitable communities.

Visit California’s Take Action for Mental Health campaign to learn more ways to get involved at www.takeaction.org.  Incorporate the lime green ribbon as a symbol of mental health into your film!

All films have to consider language guidelines when messaging about this topic. Ignoring these guidelines can cause you to lose valuable points.

Films cannot use terms like “crazy” and “psycho” without explicitly communicating to the audience that these terms are unacceptable. Films should not reinforce stereotypes and labels that could keep people from seeking help. If the film does not verbally communicate that using derogatory terms is unwelcome, the film will be disqualified. Our recommendation is to avoid labels of any kind to keep the message positive. 

Some labels to avoid are:

• Mentally ill
• Emotionally disturbed
• Crazy
• Cuckoo
• Insane
• Manica
• Lunatic
• Odd

Films must use person-first language, which refers to people who are living with mental health challenges as part of their full-life experience, not people who are defined by their mental health challenges. Using person-first language respectfully puts the person before the illness. Using person-first language helps steer clear of stigmatizing language that may lead to discrimination.

Additional Resources:
Website:  Disability Rights California has information on stigmatizing words and how to avoid using them.

Submissions that include this type of content, or ones that are deemed to contain inappropriate content, will be disqualified. 

Films Should Be Careful Not To Accidentally Reinforce Stereotypes of People Living With A Mental Health Challenge such as: being dangerous or violent, disabled or homeless, helpless, or being personally to blame for their condition. Although popular culture and the media often associate mental illness with crimes or acting violently, people living with mental illness are more likely to be victims of crime. It is important to avoid perpetuating myths and stereotypes in order to produce an accurate, respectful, and mindful film.

The Film Should Not Include Portrayals Of Suicide Deaths Or Attempts Or Items That Could Be Used in A Suicide Attempt. This includes, but is not limited to, a person jumping off a building or bridge, or holding a gun to their head). Portraying actions related to suicide attempts and showing items someone might use for a suicide attempt even in dramatization, can increase the chances of an attempt by someone who might be thinking about suicide and exposed to the film.

Be Creative and Cautious: There are other ways to demonstrate that someone is thinking about suicide without showing a weapon or other items used in an attempt. Can you convey the sentiment you are seeking without showing this? In general, it is best to avoid showing images of ways people might attempt suicide, especially weapons. If you are considering showing items someone might use for a suicide attempt in your film, we strongly encourage you to think about the purpose and benefit of including this in your film.

It is at the discretion of the program team to disqualify films that are deemed to have a potentially harmful message or image or that are not sensitive to racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, and gender differences, with all individuals realistically and respectfully depicted.

Films need to be about young people (12-25). The film does not have to solely focus on youth but youth need to have some kind of role or voice in the film. Young people often wait a long time from the time they first experience symptoms of mental illness to the time they get help. This delay can lead to the worsening of problems associated with stigma and increasing mental health challenges. It is important to create a film that speaks to youth and emphasizes that the sooner someone gets help, the less time a person suffers in silence.

Although picking up someone’s books when they fall is a nice metaphor, it often takes more than “a simple act of kindness” to help someone with a mental illness get better. Remember that many people don’t know how they should respond to someone who is experiencing a mental health challenge. Use this opportunity to educate young people and others about what to do, such as seeking help from a trusted adult, or connecting to mental health resources.

Be Original!  Be inspired by winning films from the past, but don’t copy their ideas! Think about communicating the message in a way that will really connect with other young people.

Music Matters: We receive a lot of entries that use the same music for their film.  Whenever possible, explore adding original music to your entry and check out some of the resources on our website.

Know Your Stuff:  Check out these educational resources for more information about mental health:

• Fact Sheet: How to Help a Friend Fact Sheet
• Video: “Mental Health Continuum” Educational Video
• Video: “Mental Illness & Stigma” Educational Video
• Video: “Mental Health Conditions” Educational Video
• Video: “Advocacy” Educational Video
• Website: Visit NAMI for more information about specific mental illnesses.

• I reviewed one or more of the educational resources to help with the script and storyboard for my film.
• My film communicates a message about mental health that is hopeful and focused on what someone can do to reach out for help, connect others to help, or reduce stigma around mental health.
• My film is 60-seconds long
• My film includes the required endslate
• My film includes a title slide.  
• My film aligns with language guidelines and does not include stigmatizing language.
• My film does not portray a suicide death or attempt.
• My film does not feature items that could be used in a suicide attempt.
• My entire cast and crew is registered and submitted their signed release form.