Project title
Description of initiative
Ireland’s first and largest annual film festival, a renowned national & international celebration of the best cultural cinema. The 2018 edition included programmes for schools, families, a focus on film & mental health. The 2019 and 2020 editions had among their objectives: to encourage access to film for younger audiences including via an innovative new film & mental health OUTREACH programme delivered regionally; and to promote open, transparent & informed discussion & debate about film & mental health through ILLUMINATE film strand, unique in Ireland.
Themes: Culture and...
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Target group
Cultural field
Budget
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Sources of funding
Results, benefits, impact and lessons learnt
Illuminate Film & Mental Health
Sincere in intent, and of paramount importance as a tentpole programme at Cork International Film Festival, Illuminate is unique in Ireland in its focus on the intersection of film and mental health, presenting films which explore mental health and wellbeing, and inviting professionals, service users and filmmakers to respond, and engage in dialogue inspired by the films.
In 2021, this diverse and distinctive offering includes The Hive, an admirable debut feature focused on the circumstance of children coping with a parent’s mental illness, alongside documentary films The First Woman and Looking for Horses; the former exploring the mental health challenges related to addiction, whilst the latter subtly analyses trauma and the lingering effects of war on the human psyche.