Carers Worldwide Winners at the Big Syn International Film Festival for Mental Health Awareness-Raising Film
We’re thrilled to share that Carers Worldwide were joint winners in the Mental Health Charity Film category at the Big Syn International Film Festival 2023!
Last Friday we attended the awards ceremony at the Curzon Mayfair, along with many other film-makers and charities. The Big Syn International Film Festival is the biggest United Nations Sustainable Development Goals initiative of its kind, inspiring millions to act on the UN SDGs and make positive changes for the environment, society and economy.
According to the Big Syn Institute, “over 85% of the global population is still unaware of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, let alone act on them. The mission of the film festival and awards is to address this unmet need by educating and inspiring millions to act on the SDGs, through relatable visual stories.”
Joint Winners of the Mental Health Category
There were over 200 charity film entries and so we were delighted to be announced winners of the Mental Health category, alongside Child Bereavement UK. The jury was made up of international luminaries from the fields of sustainability, policy, film and media and we were delighted to have the chance to talk to one of the judges, Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden, who is passionate about sustainability, and to share our work with her.
Deborah Meaden said of the festival,
"It was a pleasure to be on the Grand Jury of Big Syn International Film Festival - the world's biggest sustainability film festival. Films have a powerful role in showing us the big-picture of sustainability and its significance for our own lives through relatable stories from across the world. This is how Big Syn Film Fest is spreading awareness about sustainability and the UN's Global Goals to inspire positive action."
Our film was made as part of one of our projects with our local charity partner Uma Educational and Technical Society, and funded by Vitol Foundation. Its aim was to raise awareness of mental health conditions in rural communities in India and to educate the public as to their causes and proper treatment.
1 in 7 People in India Living With Mental Illness
1 in every 7 people in India is living with a mental illness. Of those people, over 80% have not received any form of mental health treatment. By raising awareness, we hoped to reduce stigma and help people recognise the warning signs of a mental illness they, or a loved one, have been experiencing and lead them to seek a professional diagnosis and treatment.
Congratulations to Everyone Involved!
We’re so pleased that through winning this award, our film is getting this acknowledgement and exposure and we’re able to tell more people about the work we do and the need for it. As one of the winners, we also had our film included in a screening on Europe's biggest screen, London's iconic Piccadilly Lights on 14th November, to the roaring support and cheers of scores of onlookers, filmmakers and supporters.
Thanks to our local filmmaking team in India led by Bhargav Shandilya for producing our film, to our colleagues at Carers Worldwide India, our local charity partner Uma Educational and Technical Society, the carers who featured in the film and to the Vitol Foundation for believing in our work. Also, a big thank you to the organisers of the Big Syn International Film Festival for holding such a great event, showcasing so many films working towards a more sustainable future.
If you would like to support our work then donate to India and help us help people who really need it.
