The Hero's Journey to the Third Pole

Beyond Silence

The lives of Jeff, Lauren and Lloyd—three very different people who share one common experience—have been transformed by speaking up for mental health. These inspiring stories depict what mental health in America really looks like and highlights just how important it is to speak up and seek help.

A Bipolar Expedition

Midland's businessman Paul Downes hires a castle in Jamaica and invites 12 young Ukrainian women to join him in the hope one will marry him. Paul suffers bi-polar disorder and has a manic episode - his plans turn bizarre and troubling.

Trust Me

Animated short documentary following a young woman's diagnosis of bipolar: a journey of self-acceptance to challenge everyday stigma. In "Trust Me", a genre-bending short documentary, a young woman uses humour and compassion to share her moving and deeply personal story of coming to terms with her mental health condition. When she starts exhibiting atypical and extreme behaviour, her loved ones trick her into hospitalisation against her will. She is diagnosed with bipolar disorder which starts her challenging journey of self-acceptance, confronting internalised and societal stigma, and learning to trust herself and others again.

Chameleons

I Remember Nothing

January 2011 : the revolution bursts in Tunisia, my father’s country. The Tunisian people scream in a rage and I, here in Paris, can feel their revolt vibrating in my heart.

Mon ami Batman Tremblay

ZAAD

ZAAD tells the autobiographical story of Dries Meddens. After the death of his mother, the care for Dries' bipolar father falls on his plate. He discovers how crudely and ruthlessly society and psychiatry treat patients. His father eventually dies in solitary confinement. While emptying his parent’s home, Dries discovers an old letter from his grandfather. The man appears to have led a busy, productive life. He is the founder of an internationally renowned seed breeding company and still has time to paint, write diaries and conduct intensive correspondence. Dries finds similarities between his grandfather, his father and himself. Slowly the fear grows that his father's psychiatric illness might be hereditary. Strolling through the family’s film and photo archives, with dramatic and sometimes hilarious finds, Dries tries to find answers. He also consults a psychiatrist. Together the consultations and reviewing of his archival material help Dries look at bipolarity with new eyes.

Within my soul

Between psychosis, delusions of persecution and trauma, A finds himself at an interface between past and present after a stay in hospital. What is still reality and what is a fearful manifestation of traumatic encounters? By confronting herself with old diary entries, she tries to come to terms with the emotional maelstrom. The breaches of trust from her youth keep pushing their way to the surface in her current relationships and make it difficult to grasp happiness.

Be Here to Love Me

Chronicles the fascinating and often turbulent life of Townes Van Zandt.

Spyral

Using a variety of sources, SPYRAL follows one bipolar woman and the impact it has on her family.

The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On

Ten years ago, in an award-winning series, Stephen Fry first spoke about living with manic depression and began a national conversation about mental health. A decade later, we return to the subject to understand where he and thousands of others diagnosed with bipolar (as it is now called) are now.

Loana : Destin tragique d'une icône brisée

Back from Madness: The Struggle for Sanity

In part of the HBO's America Undercover series, this documentary provides an insider's view of mental illness, and the use of psychotropic drugs to alleviate some of its symptoms. Tracks the odyssey of four psychiatric patients, beginning with their arrival at Massachusetts General Hospital and the affiliated Lindemann Center, revealing their personal struggles and inner strength as they enter the world of psychiatric treatment to seek relief from insanity.

Embrace the Moments

« A mother is in a psychiatric ward. Today, she is discharged for a few hours and is met by her son. Through fleeting moments – as if suspended in time – the bond between mother and son resurfaces, even as her illness stands in the way. »

Quebonafide: Północ, Południe

A hybrid film story, combining the form of a musical with elements of a music film and a personal documentary. The central character and narrator of the story is Quebo – a renowned artist who disappeared from the scene and now returns to speak about his struggle with bipolar disorder.

Loana Story : Le destin brisé d'une icône

Running from Crazy

'Running from Crazy' is a documentary examining the personal journey of model and actress Mariel Hemingway, the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, as she strives for a greater understanding of her family history of suicide and mental illness.

Head First

Director Mathieu Arsenault and two other sufferers of bipolar disorder tell the story of their journey into mental illness and back, while the partners and family members who helped them through it tell the story as they experienced it.

31.1

After facing several years of hardships, Gabriela, the director and protagonist of this short documentary, is involuntarily relocated by her family to a rehabilitation center for three months. During this time, she encounters a series of prohibitions that result in complete isolation from society, surrounded by individuals grappling with severe mental health issues. Four years after her release, she embarks on an introspective journey to definitively close that chapter of her life. This poignant documentary immerses us in Gabriela's courageous odyssey, offering an intimate look at her struggle for self-reconciliation and familial understanding. Through powerful imagery and sincere testimonials, the short film invites the audience to contemplate human resilience and the pursuit of forgiveness.

Ignore Your True Feelings at Your Own Peril

A young woman experiencing a psychiatric crisis must find a way to overcome her body’s deeply ingrained stress response.