Every year, the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film
Festival holds an International Film Competition which
culminates in an awards ceremony at Edinburgh’s
Filmhouse. This event showcases a variety of engaging
and important work exploring mental health. The festival
is now presenting two of last year’s award-winning films
in a touring programme that includes a short
post-screening discussion.
A collaboration between Fife Cultural Trust and Scottish
animator Claire Lamond as part of the World War One
commemoration project Moving Stories. When you put
your ear to a shell, what do you hear? Connected by the
sea between them, soldiers, friends, musicians fighting
in the trenches in WWI reach out to those battling back
home. With score by Karine Polwart.
SMHAFF 2014 International Film Competition:
Best Animation
Running time: 8 minutes
When filmmaker Kathy Leichter moved back into
her childhood home after her mother’s suicide, she
discovered a hidden box of audiotapes. Sixteen years
passed before she had the courage to delve into this
trove, unearthing details that her mother had recorded
about every aspect of her life from the challenges of her
marriage to a State Senator, to her son’s estrangement,
to her struggles with bipolar disorder. Here One Day is
a visually arresting, emotionally candid film about a
woman coping with mental illness, her relationships
with her family, and the ripple effects of her suicide on
those she loved.
SMHAFF 2014 International Film Competition Winner:
Best Long Documentary, Jury Prize (shared)
Running time: 76 minutes