About Us

The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival aims to transform social attitudes towards mental health. Now in its third year the festival has grown to become one of Scotland’s most significant cultural events.

Taking over venues across the country throughout October, the multi-arts festival aims to promote positive mental health in the context of equality and social justice, explore the relationship between the mind and creativity and create a dialogue with the public, the media and the arts about what mental health means to us all.

Festival events needn’t be about specific mental health problems, but may address issues of mental health in society at large (poverty/human rights/social justice, young people/education, unemployment, family dysfunction, alcohol/addiction, homelessness, post traumatic stress etc).

"We intend to achieve social change by engaging the media, the public, and the arts community in a dialogue about mental health issues"

Lee Knifton - Festival Director

Our Core Purposes

CHALLENGE PERCEPTIONS:
What mental health means, stigma and recovery, inequalities in mental health, exploring our history of mental health.

MAKE CONNECTIONS:
Connecting the community, public, arts, academic and voluntary organisations.

DEVELOP AUDIENCES:
Reach those who are often missed by traditional means of engagement.

PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT:
Encourage participation in the creative process by those who have experienced mental health issues, but also the wider community as a well-being initiative.

PROMOTE CREATIVITY:
Creating great art and events.

The festival is led by The Mental Health Foundation in association with partners who encompass the major mental health bodies in Scotland from government to those who access mental health services; the national 'see me' campaign, Breathing Space National Helpline, Healthy Working Lives, Scottish Recovery Network, NHS Health Scotland, The Royal College of Psychiatrists, and Voices of Experience, an organisation that provides a voice for national service users. Local NHS boards including Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lothian and Lanarkshire are also key partners.

Mental Health Messages

We all have mental health and one in four of us will develop mental ill-health at some point. Positive support and help from the start enables recovery. Stigma and discrimination prevents it so lets “begin to end stigma”.

The reason why many people don’t talk about their mental health problems is because they are concerned how others will react – seeking help early promotes recovery, and most people who experience mental health problems do recover.

Many people who have experienced mental health problems have made fantastic contributions to our society across the arts, politics, sport, and academia. A person’s mental health issue is only one feature of their identity.

Concepts about mental health and ill-health can vary between cultures and through generations. The arts can help to provide new insights about meaning and to dispel myths.