LONDON – Short film ‘Finding Wilson’ is helping to raise awareness of mental health on its festival circuit.
‘Finding Wilson’, which stars award-winning actress Darcy Jacobs and is made by Fact Not Fiction Films, is one of many shorts released this year that have brought attention to mental health and encouraged debate amongst the general public. The film, in support of The Lucy Rayner Foundation, recently entered the official selection of the Sydney Women’s International Film Festival, the Motion Pictures International Film Festival, and other festivals after receiving a limited theatrical distribution in the UK. In order to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help, the short’s creators wanted to inspire young adults to look for mental health support wherever they are.
‘Finding Wilson’ is one of many shorts and documentaries that are encouraging people to take care of their mental health. According to the most recent statistics, the prevalence of mental illness is increasing in both the UK and the US, and during the past year, more films in the entertainment industry have aimed to highlight the issue.
As the shortlist for the Academy Awards is set to be revealed, movies from all around the world such as Finding Wilson are contending for recognition in a number of categories, including shorts, documentaries, and features. Current societal issues, such as the pandemic’s effects on public health, have been among the themes of recently released movies in theatres.
A recent study by researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, concluded the pandemic had ‘sped up’ some of the reorganizing, thinning of the cortex and increasing the size of the hippocampus and the amygdala sections of the brain in young people. The impact of the pandemic continues to be widely felt around the world, with long-term effects to be studied for years to come.
