Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is one of Scotland's most diverse cultural events, covering everything from music, film and visual art to theatre, dance, and literature.

About Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

A significant event in Scotland’s cultural calendar, the festival takes a positive stance on mental health, celebrating artistic endeavour by those with experience of mental health issues and connecting audiences to creative and innovative work.

Together with a wide range of mental health organisations, arts bodies, community groups and artists, we aim to challenge stigma and promote social change.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact. We take every opportunity to ensure the details for Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival are accurate, please contact us at hello[@]whatsonnetwork.co.uk if any of the above information is incorrect.

Upcoming Events at Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival International Film Awards

3rd May 2021

National Event

Join SMHAF on 3rd May for a special online event to celebrate the very best submissions to their annual International Film Competition!
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DOCMA

5th May 2021

National Event

Come along to SMHAF 2021's DOCMA Filmmaking Workshop on Zoom where rules will be explained and roles allocated!
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Normality I

7th May 2021

National Event

These short films being screened as part of SMHAF 2021 explore how our daily lives and mental health are influenced by sexuality, neurodiversity, body image and long-term health conditions.
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Neighbors

7th May 2021

National Event

As part of SMHAF, the documentary Neighbors, which follows a group of people as they readjust to normality after spending decades in a psychiatric institution, will have it's Scottish premiere.
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Normality II

8th May 2021

National Event

By turns experimental, surreal, and uncanny, these international short films, screened as part of SMHAF, how mental ill health and the factors that contribute to it can become normalised in society.
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I’ll Be Your Mirror

10th May 2021 - 16th May 2021

National Event

As part of SMHAF 2021, filmmaker and artist Johanna Faust goes on a journey to understand her identity as a mother and an artist against a family history of bipolar disorder.
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Screen Test

11th May 2021

National Event

Screen Test, part of SMHAF, is a workshop focusing on interactive exercises for curious creative practitioners, with a view to exploring the future of made-for-screen pieces.
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Judy Versus Capitalism

14th May 2021

National Event

Don't miss the Scottish premier of Judy Versus Capitalism the lyrical documentary by Mike Hoolboom, recounting radical feminist Judy Rebick's experiences as an activist and living with a divided self.
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Nature

14th May 2021

National Event

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Nature and SMHAF are marking the occasion with a selection of short films which explore the relationship between nature, mental health and wellbeing!
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Lived Experience

15th May 2021

National Event

Personal experiences with mental health problems inspired each of these shorts, ranging from animation and experimental film to documentary and drama, part of SMHAF 2021.
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Dead Souls’ Vacation

17th May 2021 - 23rd May 2021

National Event

Dead Souls' Vacation is an absurd, intimate slice of post-Soviet life, this documentary chronicles the relationship between a once popular Georgian musician and his elderly mother.
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Certified Mail

17th May 2021 - 23rd May 2021

National Event

Certified Mail, the debut film by Egyptian director Hisham Saqr, is about finding inner strength while living with mental illness, catch the UK Premier as part of SMHAF 2021.
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Love Bound + Imogen

17th May 2021 - 23rd May 2021

National Event

SMHAF are screening Love Bound and Imogen, two raw and compelling documentaries highlighting the challenges parents and families face in supporting young people with severe mental illness.
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‘Normal?’ Conversations

18th May 2021

National Event

Join two conversations with artists about subjects related to mental health and 'Normality?', hosted hosted by SMHAF's Andrew Eaton-Lewis.
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FilmMedicine

19th May 2021

National Event

FilmMedicine, part of SMHAF, is a selection of short films which bring a fresh eye to our understanding of illnesses of the body and mind, and a visual energy to recovery or acceptance.
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Grief

22nd May 2021

National Event

Join SMHAF for a series of screenings, bringing together a diverse collection of stories to explore the expansiveness of grief.
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DOCMA: Filmmaking Workshop

22nd May 2021

National Event

Come along to SMHAF 2021's DOCMA Filmmaking Workshop on Zoom where rules will be explained and roles allocated!
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Writing Awards

23rd May 2021

National Event

Join us for a live online event to celebrate the winners and shortlisted entries from the SMHAF Writing Competition.
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