Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week, BEEF (Bristol Experimental & Expanded Film) present a weekend of artist films exploring different aspects and experiences of mental health, including lived experiences of Black masculinity and depression, psychosis and neurodivergence.
Friday 16 May, 7pm – 9pm (£8/£5)
Larry Achiampong – GHOST_DATA_
A screening of current work within British Ghanaian artist Larry Achiampong’s ongoing GHOST_DATA_ short film series followed by a conversation between Achiampong and curator Ben Borthwick.
In A Letter (Side B), which is partially filmed on a hacked Gameboy camera, Achiampong recounts a deeply personal moment in a counselling room following a suicide attempt, offering a raw portrayal of his mental health struggles. The story unfolds against a backdrop of structural inequalities that historically, marginalised communities continue to face today. A Pledge is a work that explores the interconnected states of generational trauma, seclusion, mental and physical health and communal agency through the acts of driving and Gōjū-ryū Karate.
https://www.larryachiampong.co.uk/bio
(Trigger warning: Contains flashing lights and scenes of a sensitive nature including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and racism).
Saturday 17 May, 3pm – 3.30pm (free – booking essential)
Louisa Fairclough – Mental Falls
Mental Falls is a short lyrical essay film by Louisa Fairclough weaving the voices of singers with Louisa’s own voice in a close observation of her sister Hetta Fairclough’s sketchbook. Hetta (1973-2008) produced a remarkable sketchbook of drawings which take the form of assemblages and visual poems pulling on her own experience of anxiety, depression and mania. Page by page Louisa’s interpretation of her sister’s drawings – spoken and sung – becomes the soundtrack to the film.
(Trigger warning: Contains spoken descriptions and drawings that convey experiences of mental distress. There is a reference to suicide).
Saturday 17 May, 4pm – 6pm (£8/£5)
Marcus Coates – The Directors
The Directors, commissioned by Artangel, is a collaboration between artist Marcus Coates and five individuals in recovery from different lived experiences of psychosis. Positioned behind the camera, each of them directs Coates in a filmed restaging of particular episodes from their lives. The resulting films challenge cultural stigma through an attempt to understand different realities. Of the five short films, three will be screened: Anthony, Stephen and Lucy followed by a Q&A with Marcus Coates and art writer Cherry Smyth.
https://www.whatsgoingon.org.uk
(Trigger warning: Please note the film contains scenes that some viewers may find distressing. Personal experiences are discussed including psychosis, hearing voices, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, intrusive thoughts, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety. Viewer discretion is advised).
Sunday 18 May, 7pm – 9pm (£8/£5)
The Brain Is A literal Object
The Brain is a Literal Object is a film and performance event exploring autistic poetics through projections and live narration, with Joanne Dorothea-Smith, Patrycja Loranc, and Mars Saude.
For further details and to book tickets, please visit http://www.beefbristol.org/