The winning projects of the "No Stigma - Media for Mental Health" call to pitches have been announced. First place went to the drama project "Nora sieht (nur ein bisschen) rot" by Fariba Buchheim. In second place is the family drama "Border crosser" by Vera Zimmermann, closely followed by Annika Birgel and Rudolf Fitzgerald Leonard with the drama "Replica".
"Nora sieht (nur ein bisschen) rot" by Fariba Buchheim:
In a new city, far from her past, a young woman with schizophrenia faces the challenges of growing up and discovers that true strength lies in accepting herself.
"Border crosser" by Vera Zimmermann:
When Norma, mother of two pubescent teenagers, takes in her brother Ben, who lives with schizophrenia, after his release from a psychiatric clinic, both siblings find themselves in parallel battles: Ben fights for stability and selfreliance, Norma for the balance between family responsibility and supporting her brother. Together they are pushed to their emotional and psychological limits.
"Replica" by Annika Birgel and Rudolf Fitzgerald Leonard:
Mina and her brother Jonas work together in an industrial workshop, manufacturing prosthetic devices for injured soldiers. When the facility burns down under mysterious circumstances, rumours begin to circulate that Jonas deliberately started the fire, pointing to his history of mental illness as evidence. As a police investigation unfolds and tensions among the community boil over, Mina must confront her family's past and decide how far she’ll go to protect her brother.
These outstanding screenplay ideas deal with the illness of schizophrenia in a differentiated and realistic way and help to reduce stigma and misunderstandings in the public eye. Seriencamp Conference offers a platform to get to know the creatives behind the projects.
A strong signal for realistic portrayals of mental illness
The initiative was launched in 2024 in cooperation with Boehringer Ingelheim. The Call to Projects started on July 27, 2024 and was aimed at authors and producers who had until January 15, 2025 to submit their concepts. An expert jury selected the winning projects from the numerous submissions.
The jury included:
- Kristina Löbbert (Producer, Director Scripted, Warner Bros. International Television Production)
- Prof. Dr. med. Arno Deister (Psychiatrist and Chairman of Aktionsbündnis Seelische Gesundheit)
- Jakob Claussen (Producer at Claussen+Putz Filmproduktion)
- Dr. Marco Zierhut (Senior Physician, Medical Director of the Psychotic Disorders Module, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin)
- Laura Fischer (Director, Changesmakers.film)
Further training and sustainable awareness
A further training workshop for media professionals was already offered in October 2024 to provide in-depth background knowledge on schizophrenia. The aim is to establish a differentiated and well-founded representation of mental illness in the film and series sector in the long term.
>>> More information about the initiative can be found here: www.media4mentalhealth.com.