It’s not your brain, genes or weakness.

It’s a global socio-economic illness.

Mental disorders are the primary driver of disability worldwide, states the World Health Organization. Is mental illness political, cultural, social, economical? Through a 7 year period, on 5 continents, in 10 countries, affected people, artists and experts try to shed light on socio-economic causes. Enhanced with performative elements and associative montage, this journey confronts you with ourselves and the environments we are living in. Is there some pattern?

After going through personal experiences with anxiety and depression, mania and psychosis, co-authors looked in their environments and saw similar cases. Besides the mentioned, chemical and non-chemical substance self-medication (addiction), high numbers of suicides, burn out, self-harming, eating disorders, domestic violence and sexual abuse, poverty, loneliness, stress…They looked into global statistics and the one’s from their countries (Germany, Slovenia), stunned by the high numbers of affected. How is it possible that with such high numbers no epidemic is being called out? Why is it not widely spoken in the public? Why does everyone believe it is their individual fault, when such a majority in our communities is facing it? Research took them to “Lost Connections”, a research book from Johann Hari on causes of depression and anxiety, which inspired their film on a shoestring budget, self-produced and with minimalist gear (as guerilla approach). Looking for poetic realism, they go on an exploration journey through 5 continents, looking into how political becomes personal, affecting our psyche. With elements of activist and advocacy journalism, the film tries to share and spread the urgent knowledge for all the communities and generations, while calling for activated civil society, battling the stigma and self-guilt of anyone affected by the socio-economic-cultural ideology of individualism. Therefore the distribution agenda of co-authors is not only connected to cinemas but also communities of different areas of society. To disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed, is the starting intention of this project.

TEAM

Translation Japan YURIKA YOTSUMOTO / SAYURI TRONSBERG

Sound design SAŠO PUCKOVSKI / MARC STECK

Sound Mix GERHARD AUER

Color Grading CLAUDIA FUCHS

Animations & Poster Design URŠA RAHNE

DCP Conforming MARTIN FOERSTER

Director of Photography MARC STECK

Research TJAŠA KOSAR

Script TJAŠA KOSAR / MARC STECK

Editing MARC STECK

Directed and produced by TJAŠA KOSAR / MARC STECK

University of Television and Film Munich

Project Supervision PROF. MARCUS H. ROSENMÜLLER

Project Consultant ANDREAS GRUBER

Line Producer JOACHIM KÖGLMEIER

Editing Consultant PROF. BEATRICE BABIN

Meet the experts

PROF. DR. MED. DR. PHIL. HABIL. ANDREAS HEINZ

Psychiatrist and neurologist, director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Campus Charité, Berlin

ULRIKE SCHERLING / TIZIAN KEßLE

Social workers at Misfits, Addiction treatment centre, Berlin

HEINKE SOFKA

Occupational therapist, Foundation for Trauma Therapy, Berlin

Heinke Sofka established the Foundation for Trauma Therapy in 2020. The foundation’s main focus is on Peter Levine’s form of trauma therapy known as Somatic Experiencing. The foundation supports children, adolescents and young adults who have experienced trauma and would otherwise have no access to therapy. Other areas of support and interest include the mediation of trauma therapy interventions for first responders such as police officers, firefighters and nurses,as well as for teachers and other professionals in the educational field. They offer workshops on regulation, resilience and trauma for teachers and pupils. The Foundation is also strongly committed to increasing awareness of the causes and effects of trauma in order to improve public perception of trauma treatment and healing. It also seeks to illustrate the concept of trauma as understood by Peter Levine and his colleagues, as well as from the perspective of polyvagal theory. Traumatic experiences can be integrated and can therefore be healed.

If you would like to learn more about the foundation and its funding programs, please contact Heinke Sofka at info@stiftung-traumatherapie.com or on +49 17626113521 or +4930 45493800.
All information can be found at: www.stiftung-traumatherapie.com