Unit of Difficult Patients: What Future for the Criminally Insane?

Four voices intertwine in a testimonial journey through the Santiago subway, confronting what society prefers to keep underground in its stations. A journey of reconstruction — from memory and experience — that explores the invisible trace these events have left on their lives.

Divergente

In just sixty years, South Korea went from being one of the poorest countries on the Asian continent to having the 12th largest economy in the entire world. Every year, it is measured that Korean students have some of the highest test scores and a higher rate of acceptance into Ivy League schools compared to all other nations. But on the flip side, South Korea also has one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world, the highest gender pay gap of all developed countries, and the highest plastic surgery rate per capita. Always expected to receive top scores and constantly bombarded by media and messages that seem to demand nothing short of visual “perfection,” how do these individuals come to accept and learn to love themselves as they are?

A lonely individual embarks on a scenic drive up a mountain, seeking fresh air and a renewed perspective. At the summit, they wander through serene surroundings, allowing the natural landscape to provide a mental reset and offer clarity—a deliberate retreat to refresh both mind and spirit.

Based on the autobiographical work of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, this production depicts the author at various stage of her life. Afflicted with mental and emotional issues, Frame grows up in an impoverished family and experiences numerous tragedies while still in her youth, including the deaths of two of her siblings. Portrayed as an adult by Kerry Fox, Frame finds acclaim for her writing while still in a mental institution, and her success helps her move on with her life.

In 2004 the Oregon State Hospital, former site of the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, revealed the existence of thousands of corroded copper urns, each containing cremated human remains. Photographer David Maisel captured these beautifully unique urns of forgotten souls on film. Exhibiting their photos revealed secrets, influenced political decisions and reunited families. This film will show how art can stimulate social change and will document the ongoing controversy surrounding a proper memorial for these institutionalized casualties.

Award-winning documentary Resilience & Sacrifice follows an emerging musician from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom who shelved his dreams to raise his family. Years later, he returns to the stage, facing the music industry and a medical crisis that nearly ends his career. A story of grit and passion.

When two unqualified bozos are hired to transfer a rich teen to rehab, their straightforward gig quickly spirals into dangerous mayhem.

Filmmaker Stephen Hosier takes a journey with Richard Csanyi, his childhood friend, as he investigates the life and death of his twin brother Attila, who was found dead on a rooftop in 2020.

Valentina seeks refuge from the incessant waves of her mind in the pages of her upcoming poetry book Lapislazuli, trying to keep her life from slipping away like sand through her fingers. With words from her poem Citrino, we journey through a range of emotions and feel the ups and downs of her Borderline Personality Disorder.

The life of Princess Alice of Battenberg, Queen Victoria's great-granddaughter, Prince Andrew of Greece's wife and Queen Elizabeth II's mother-in-law. Born deaf, she faced tremendous hardships but found solace in faith and charity work.

4 mental patients formulate the plan to rescue their kidnapped doctor and teach the kidnappers a lesson.

El dolor invisible

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.

Aiming to expose the extreme mental and emotional demands of being a police officer, After The Sirens is an intimate documentary that unmasks how mental health is perceived and addressed in the police force from first hand accounts. The film invites viewers to consider the mental resilience required to be an officer, with conversations surrounding trauma exposure, emotional labour, multiculturalism and personal experiences of coping. Through displaying the force’s involvement in a recent traumatic case, as well as the trauma encountered throughout their individual careers, the documentary offers the opportunity to go inside the policing mind.

An up-to-date look at Youth Suicide with an examination of the warning signs, statistics and causes, along with possible ways teachers and parents can use to help their child overcome this important social issue. Also includes a look at the media and its handling of the social issue through the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Dear Evan Hansen."

Jöran has a bipolar disorder, which makes him vulnerable to depression, mania and psychosis. He can sympathize well at the moment, but that has been different in the past. Jöran delves into his dark past and talks to the people who experienced his illness up close. How do you deal with this disorder and the misunderstood behavior that comes with it? And how do you break the taboo that still exists on disease pressure?

For those who electrical sensitivity, there aren’t many places to seek refuge. In a remote part of West Virginia, the so-called National Radio Quiet Zone offers one such escape.

Chameleons

"Wolfe" is an intimate confessional from Nick, who learned through puberty that the imaginary friend in his head was real, and violent.