Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

Amble Skuse

Composer and violinist Amble Skuse has created an improvised musical piece that explores how isolation can cause a “looped psychological experience”, part of our My Experience of Isolation commission.

Though This Be (online) Madness

Though This Be (online) Madness is a brand new reimagining of Skye Loneragan’s solo theatre show, which premiered from 5-9 October 2020 at mhfestival.com and on the SMHAF Facebook page.

Visit Now: All, Entire, Whole

All, Entire, Whole tells stories and shares work from a number of artists aiming to change the way people think about mental health to help start conversations and challenge stigma.

Rebecca Tantony

Rebecca Tantony has written a sequence of short poems and stories reflecting on how, as she puts it, “isolation is a narrative in my family history that has spanned generations”.

Amy Rosa

Amy Rosa has created a series of photographic self-portraits and creative writing/spoken text about living with complex post traumatic stress disorder.

Feral Mother - A Journey into Irony: Part 1

A Journey Into Irony, is an enhanced narrative - part written, hyperlinked with video journal, poetry and song – that explores the reasons for a change in her mental health…

Feral Mother - A Journey into Irony: Part 2

A Journey Into Irony, is an enhanced narrative - part written, hyperlinked with video journal, poetry and song – that explores the reasons for a change in her mental health…

Feral Mother - A Journey into Irony: Part 3

A Journey Into Irony, is an enhanced narrative – part written, hyperlinked with video journal, poetry and song – by artist Feral Mother that explores the reasons for changes in her…

James McDermott

James McDermott has written and recorded two performance poems exploring the experiences of being an LGBTQ person during lockdown, a situation that has separated many people from supportive communities and…

Catch Up: International Film Awards

The International Film Awards has been a major highlight of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival since the very first year. Although we are unable to invite you to meet…

Catch Up: Writing Awards 2020

The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival’s Writing Awards, in partnership with Bipolar Scotland, is one of our most enduring successes. An opportunity for first time, and more established writers, to…

Exhibition: SMHAF at Home

The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival is thrilled to present a collaborative exhibition of visual artworks developed by members of our community.

View Now: Reliquary

A participatory art commission by See Me and the Mental Health Foundation, in partnership with An Lanntair. Reliquary is a collection of artworks created during workshops on the Isle of…

Wander

We are pleased to present the 'Wander' film series, which was supported by the Mental Health Foundation. These short films give you a window in to beautiful venues and locations…

Though This Be Madness: A Work in Progress

Over the next few weeks Skye will be sharing quirky, questioning process-bites as she develops this new version of Though This Be Madness.

Watch now: Trace, by Abi Pirani

SMHAF is proud to present a short extract of TRACE, by Abi Pirani. Originally planned to be shown in a theatrical iteration for adults at this year's festival, TRACE combines…

Catch Up: Saturday Art Club with GoMA

To celebrate the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, here at GoMA we have adapted our Saturday Art Clubs to hopefully encourage positive mental wellbeing.

Catch Up: The Voice Behind the Picture

Part of a project between In Motion and See Me, 14 writers have been working with playwright and creative director of In Motion Theatre Company Lisa Nicoll to create stories…

Visit: Unlocked Art Gallery

Unlocked Art Gallery is an online gallery of art and mental health produced during lockdown by people from Edinburgh & Lothians.

Visit: Well Happy Words

“Words are events, they do things, change things. They transform both speaker and hearer; they feed energy back and forth and amplify it. They feed understanding or emotion back and…

Ended: Family Shorts

We are pleased to present our Family Shorts programme from 2019. Aimed at engaging young minds in mental health matters, these short films explore wellbeing, worries and emotions in creative…

Ended: Caring Spaces

Caring Spaces is a short film programme exploring the different ways we care for each other. Alexander's Film, Eleven, and Never Actually Lost each bring unique, artistic perspectives to the…

Ended: Conviction

Conviction is a raw and powerful Canadian documentary that envisions alternatives to prison through the eyes of women behind bars and those fighting on the front lines of the decarceration…

Ended: Women's Worlds

Three short films exploring women’s experiences with mental health issues, showing online from Monday 13 July. There will be a Zoom Q&A with the directors on Thursday 16 July at…

Ended: Riptide

A love story about schizophrenia, this new film from director Tim Barrow had its world premiere online with SMHAF.

Ended: Lost Transmissions

SMHAF presents an online screening of Lost Transmissions, starring Simon Pegg and Juno Temple. Join us for a discussion with director Katharine O'Brien at 8.30pm on Thursday 2 July.

Ended: Mind to Move

Movement sessions that focus on supporting mental health and well-being, every Tuesday at 12pm during lockdown.

Ended: Refugee Experiences

Showing from 22-29 June, this programme features two short films focusing on Refugee Experiences. Tangle, the winner of our Human Rights award, is a beautiful animation about displacement through war…

Ended: Men In The Dark

Men In The Dark is a short film programme exploring male mental health, with a discussion taking place on Thursday 18 June. My Dad's Name Was Huw. He Was An…

Ended: In Her Shadows

To conclude our series of films of theatre shows from previous festivals, we are delighted to present In Her Shadows, first seen at SMHAF in October 2015. In Her Shadows…

Ended: Living With the Lights On - the film

SMHAF is delighted to host the world premiere of Living With The Lights On – the film, adapted from Mark Lockyer’s highly acclaimed solo theatre show about his experiences of…

Ended: Yoghurt Utopia

Uplifting documentary Yoghurt Utopia is screening here online from 8-15 June. Join us for a discussion with directors David Baksh and Anna Thomson on Thu 11 Jun at 8.30pm.

Ended: Repeat with Gillian Jane Lees and Adam York Gregory

Performance practitioner Gillian Jane Less and visual artist Adam York Gregory lead Repeat, the next workshop in Eat. Move. Sleep. Repeat., a series of conversations with artists curated by Emma…

Ended: Eat. Move. Sleep. Repeat.

Eat. Move. Sleep. Repeat. is a series of online conversations with artists exploring how creative practices can help us to find play in meeting our basic needs.

Ended: The Voices From Inside

Documentary The Voices From Inside is screening here from 1-8 June, with a Zoom discussion taking place on Thu 4 Jun at 8.30pm.

Ended: MOVE with Roland Carline

Interdisciplinary artist Roland Carline leads Move, the next workshop in Eat. Move. Sleep. Repeat., a series of conversations with artists curated by Emma Jayne Park and Emily Furneuax.

Ended: Sleep, with Toni-Dee and Laura Gonzalez

Toni-Dee and Laura Gonzalez lead Sleep, the next workshop in Eat. Move. Sleep. Repeat., a series of conversations with artists curated by Emma Jayne Park and Emily Furneaux. During the…

Ended: Home

Intimate and unflinching documentary which tells the epic story of Sarah Outen's solo, human powered expedition around the globe, where she is brought to the mental and physical brink.

Ended: Filmmakers in Isolation: Projects During and After Lockdown

In this workshop, filmmakers Hannah Currie and Matthew Baren share their experiences of modifying projects on a lockdown timeline.

Ended: Kindness

This week, we present three short films exploring the Mental Health Awareness Week theme of Kindness, including the winners of the Short Documentary and Short Drama awards at SMHAF 2020.

Ended: Electrolyte

Electrolyte is a multi-award winning piece of gig theatre that powerfully explores mental health for a contemporary audience.

Ended: Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts Festival

We are delighted to be partnering with the Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts Festival (NIMHAF) for 2020.

Ended: Filmmakers In Isolation: How To Support Yourself and Others

Documentary maker and person centred therapist Rebecca Day and SMHAF award winner Tim Mercier discuss the unique challenges of the pandemic. At the end of the second week of UK…

Ended: Side by Side

Join us for the first public screening of Side by Side, a thought provoking new film on peer work in Edinburgh.Side by Side is a short film featuring peers from…

Ended: Perspective & Relationships: An SCCR workshop

As part of SMHAF 2020, join the Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution’s online workshop that will explore the theme of perspectives.

Ended: OOSOOM Afternoon Tea

You are cordially invited to have afternoon tea with exhibitors and organisers of Out of Sight, Out of Mind on Wednesday 20 May from 2-3.30pm. Out of Sight, Out of…

Ended: Eat. Emilie Baltz.

The mental health benefits of engaging with the arts is recognised worldwide but increasingly those who are responsible for making and sharing work are facing exhaustion. At this time of…

Ended: Super Awesome World

Amy Conway’s Super Awesome World is a theatre show about how the kinds of challenges set by computer games can help you navigate depression.

Ended: Mental Health Movie Monthly

Mental Health Movie Monthly, led by Robert Gordon University, invites you to join them for a Twitter discussion on District 9 at 7.30pm.

Ended: I'll Love You Till The End

I'll Love You Till The End an intimate film that examines the experience of bereavement by suicide. Available until 17 May, with a director Q&A at 8.30pm on Thu 14 May.

Ended: Self-Isolation

Two short films exploring uncertainty and isolation: Solastalgia (Millefiore Clarkes, 2019, Canada, 12m) and Knock, Knock, Knock (Arom Choi, 2019, Republic of Korea, 15m). Watch until Mon 11 May.

Ended: Hysteria!

Every week, for one week only, we are showcasing a film of a theatre show from a previous SMHAF, with brand new programme notes. First up is Hysteria!, a political…

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