A candid documentary about comedian Stephen Fry, who almost killed himself before he discovered he was bipolar, is one of several films screening at this mini film fest looking at ethical issues around mental health. The six films - three documentary, three drama - will be followed by an audience discussion with an expert panel. There are also three special school screenings.
“Most psychiatric disorders remain poorly understood though many medical researchers hope that new insights will arise from recent work on the human genome. This work raises hopes for new kinds of therapies but it also brings more troubling ideas – for example about pre-natal screening for mental-health problems later in life," says says Professor Steve Yearley, Director of the ESRC Genomics Forum, Festival sponsor and film festival panellist.
"This film festival offers audiences a very timely and exciting opportunity to consider and debate the nature of mental health and the likely impacts of current psychiatric research on individuals, families, health services and society at large.”
The Films
- The Eighth Day – French with English subtitles, Director Jaco Van Dormael (1996)
- Girl, Interrupted – Drama, Director James Mangold (1999)
- The Madness of King George – Director Nicholas Hytner (1994)
- Mental: A History of the Madhouse – Director Chris Boulding (2010)
- Sectioned – Director Ben Anthony (2010)
- Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive – Director Ross Wilson (2006)
The Panellists
- Prof. Calum MacKellar, Director of Research, Scottish Council for Human Bioethics (Chair)
- Dr Douglas Wilcox, Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Medical Genetics, University of Glasgow & Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board
- Ms. Jane Killeen, Director of Policy, Alzheimer Scotland
- Dr Chris Willmott, Senior Lecturer and National Teaching Fellow Bioethics, University of Leicester
- Dr. Vaughan Williams, Consultant Psychiatrist, London
- Prof. Steve Yearley, Director ESRC Genomics Forum, University of Edinburgh
- Dr Andrew McIntosh, Reader in Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh
Film Festival organising partners
The festival is organised in partnership with the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, Edinburgh Filmhouse, ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum and the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland branch of the British Science Association.
Tickets from the Filmhouse