Head First

Crownsville Hospital: From Lunacy to Legacy

October 2018 •English

Crownsville Hospital: From Lunacy to Legacy is a feature-length documentary film highlighting the history of the Crownsville State Mental Hospital in Crownsville, MD.

Japan: The Missing Million

June 2002 •English

In Japan, a million young men have shut the door on real life. Almost one man in ten in his late teens and early twenties is refusing to leave his home – many do not leave their bedrooms for years on end.

Beyond Silence

February 2017 •English

The lives of Jeff, Lauren and Lloyd—three very different people who share one common experience—have been transformed by speaking up for mental health. These inspiring stories depict what mental health in America really looks like and highlights just how important it is to speak up and seek help.

A Bipolar Expedition

May 2010 •English

Midland's businessman Paul Downes hires a castle in Jamaica and invites 12 young Ukrainian women to join him in the hope one will marry him. Paul suffers bi-polar disorder and has a manic episode - his plans turn bizarre and troubling.

Be Here to Love Me

September 2004 •English

Chronicles the fascinating and often turbulent life of Townes Van Zandt.

Framing Britney Spears

February 2021 •English

Her rise was a global phenomenon. Her downfall was a cruel national sport. People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life.

I Remember Nothing

March 2017 •French

January 2011 : the revolution bursts in Tunisia, my father’s country. The Tunisian people scream in a rage and I, here in Paris, can feel their revolt vibrating in my heart.

Louis Theroux: America's Medicated Kids

April 2010 •English

Faced with the challenging behaviour of their kids, more and more parents in America are turning to psychoactive medication to help them cope, even though the drugs, and sometimes the diagnoses, remain controversial. Louis travels to one of America's leading children's psychiatric treatment centres, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to get to know the diagnosed children and hoping to understand what drives parents to put their kids on drugs.

Santé mentale : Plus forts ensemble

January 2020 •French

Chameleons

November 2022 •Portuguese

31.1

Invalid date •Spanish

After facing several years of hardships, Gabriela, the director and protagonist of this short documentary, is involuntarily relocated by her family to a rehabilitation center for three months. During this time, she encounters a series of prohibitions that result in complete isolation from society, surrounded by individuals grappling with severe mental health issues. Four years after her release, she embarks on an introspective journey to definitively close that chapter of her life. This poignant documentary immerses us in Gabriela's courageous odyssey, offering an intimate look at her struggle for self-reconciliation and familial understanding. Through powerful imagery and sincere testimonials, the short film invites the audience to contemplate human resilience and the pursuit of forgiveness.

Trust Me

May 2024 •English

Animated short documentary following a young woman's diagnosis of bipolar: a journey of self-acceptance to challenge everyday stigma. In "Trust Me", a genre-bending short documentary, a young woman uses humour and compassion to share her moving and deeply personal story of coming to terms with her mental health condition. When she starts exhibiting atypical and extreme behaviour, her loved ones trick her into hospitalisation against her will. She is diagnosed with bipolar disorder which starts her challenging journey of self-acceptance, confronting internalised and societal stigma, and learning to trust herself and others again.

The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On

February 2016 •English

Ten years ago, in an award-winning series, Stephen Fry first spoke about living with manic depression and began a national conversation about mental health. A decade later, we return to the subject to understand where he and thousands of others diagnosed with bipolar (as it is now called) are now.

Within my soul

Invalid date •German

Between psychosis, delusions of persecution and trauma, A finds himself at an interface between past and present after a stay in hospital. What is still reality and what is a fearful manifestation of traumatic encounters? By confronting herself with old diary entries, she tries to come to terms with the emotional maelstrom. The breaches of trust from her youth keep pushing their way to the surface in her current relationships and make it difficult to grasp happiness.

Running from Crazy

January 2013 •English

'Running from Crazy' is a documentary examining the personal journey of model and actress Mariel Hemingway, the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, as she strives for a greater understanding of her family history of suicide and mental illness.

Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD

July 2012 •English

Jon Richardson investigates OCD. Is he simply a demanding perfectionist or does he have obsessive compulsive disorder?

Ignore Your True Feelings at Your Own Peril

June 2024 •English

A young woman experiencing a psychiatric crisis must find a way to overcome her body’s deeply ingrained stress response.

Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace

February 1972 •English

A shocking exposé of the deplorable conditions and abuses from the Willowbrook State School for children with intellectual disabilities.

Back from Madness: The Struggle for Sanity

September 1996 •English

In part of the HBO's America Undercover series, this documentary provides an insider's view of mental illness, and the use of psychotropic drugs to alleviate some of its symptoms. Tracks the odyssey of four psychiatric patients, beginning with their arrival at Massachusetts General Hospital and the affiliated Lindemann Center, revealing their personal struggles and inner strength as they enter the world of psychiatric treatment to seek relief from insanity.

Dora Maar in Spite of Picasso

November 2014 •Spanish

Dora Maar, a world-class photographer who began her artistic career in the French Surrealist scene of the 30s, lived in the shadow of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, her lover between 1935 and 1943, with whom she maintained a chaotic, even violent, relationship. Fortunately, she survived Picasso's abusive behavior and its sequels to find a new path, the best one, the one that is worth to be told, in spite of Picasso.