MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Films focused on mental health took over the big screen in Madison on Saturday as the Mental Health Warrior Film Festival returned for its second year.<\/p>\n
The festival was created to give filmmakers a space to explore mental health through storytelling. <\/p>\n
This year, organizers received 70 submissions from six continents, with films ranging from dramas and comedies to documentaries and musicals.<\/p>\n
Director and producer Patrick McHugh said one of the things he values most is seeing how people from different backgrounds approach the same subject.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to see where everybody\u2019s different perspectives come from and that\u2019s the big thing that I am excited to see. And internationally, even though it is the same subject, what kind of perspectives they put on their own spin for different things.\u201d<\/p>\n
For McHugh, the connection to mental health is also personal.<\/p>\n
He said he made a film centered around anxiety before fully realizing how closely it reflected his own experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to therapy for the first time after I graduated from college, after I made the film, and then I was actually diagnosed with general anxiety disorder. I was making a film without even knowing that I was making something about my own, personal experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
McHugh said filmmaking can be both personal and shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s cool is that it\u2019s both a personal and a shared experience all at the same time. It is one of my favorite mediums to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mental health advocate Brandon Hillaker said many of the films are built around a message of hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of these movies are built around the message of mental health and hope. And I hope that they actually come to these and find hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hillaker said that message comes from his own experience getting through difficult moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impossible is only improbable and sometimes on my hardest days, surviving felt impossible, but it wasn\u2019t and I got through it and that\u2019s the whole message behind my movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
The festival was held at Flix Brewhouse in Madison and also serves as a fundraiser for NAMI Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
Organizers said 33 films were selected for online streaming this year, giving audiences outside Madison a chance to watch and take part in the conversation around mental health.<\/p>\n