Short Films: Nature

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Nature and we are marking the occasion with a selection of short films which explore the relationship between nature, mental health and wellbeing.

There are inspiring stories about how nature can prevent mental health problems and support recovery, as well as meditations on how our increasingly limited access to the natural world can create challenges in maintaining positive mental health.

Content notes: discussion of medication, self-harm, suicide, depiction of gun threat. These are also listed individually by film.

How to Watch

Watch Nature on the SMHAF page at INDY On Demand. It is available rent from 10-16 May for UK audiences. The runtime is 87 minutes.

Tickets are available on a Pay What You Can basis, using our sliding scale pricing. Tickets are FREE, £2, £4 and £6. To access the various prices, please click Rent and then tick the box “I have a promo code”. Enter the promo code for your ticket price – SMHAF0, SMHAF2 or SMHAF4 – and click apply. £6 is the default price, with no code required.

There will be a Zoom Q&A with filmmakers Aoise Tutty Jackson, Ji-Yoon Park, Katie Revell, Aaron Kelly-Penso, and subjects from some of the films, at 5pm on Friday 14 May. It will take place as a webinar and available to view on Facebook Live.

Screening Programme

Together-Alone: Elika, Dorith Mous, Netherlands, 11m
Striking cinematic portrait of a young woman who finds solace in nature after her sister’s suicide and a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.
Content: discussion of suicide, discussion of medication, discussion of self-harm.

Listen, Aoise Tutty Jackson, Ireland, 18m, European Premiere
An expressive documentary, beautifully shot in rural Ireland, distilling the importance of listening in relation to mental health and the climate.

Once Upon A Time, Ji Yoon Park, Republic of Korea and UK, 5m
An essay film using natural imagery, diegetic sound and text to explore anxiety, depression and an unexpected compulsion to revisit the past.

Early Light, Ted Schneider, USA, 17m, European Premiere
Two veterans whose lives have been upended by PTSD place their hopes in the healing power of horses and the natural world.
Content: gun threat, suicide ideation.

Treelines, Katie Revell, Scotland, 24m, UK Premiere
Having lived in a Scottish woodland for four years, Ludwig helps others reconnect with their inner wilderness and overcome nature deficit disorder. 

The Orchids, Aaron Kelly-Penso, USA, 11m, World Premiere
Meditative and hopeful documentary in which orchid enthusiast Zac explains how he manages his anxiety by tending to his plants in a basement nursery.

Image: Treelines