Documentary films can help fuel change and drive impact.
They allow us to do this through authentic stories when they meet a deep human need to connect. When this need to connect is fulfilled, it can translate into deep and passionate support for the issue depicted in a film. And this emotional and engaged support from viewers is critical to a successful social impact campaign.
What Can Ancient DNA Teach the Modern World about Mental Health?
For people living with a mental health disorder, whatever it may be, prejudice and discrimination can be a major obstacle to a fulfilling and satisfying life.
One in five people will suffer from a mental health problem in their lives. The problem concerns us all. Yet when we talk about mental illness, discrimination and stigma are ubiquitous. So what does it mean exactly? Stigma can be broadly defined as a collection of negative and unfair beliefs. When associated with mental illness, stigma leads to the inaccurate and hurtful objectification of people as lazy, incompetent and even dangerous. In turn, stigma fuels feelings of shame guilt and incompetence in people, which only aggravates their symptoms and prevents them from seeking the help they need. Discrimination can be described as an unfair treatment that directly results from stigma.
The Human Race operates at the intersection of the field of scientific communication and storytelling. The aim is to advance the use of film as a powerful tool to reach, engage and influence audiences. Using creative storytelling, documentary techniques and innovative artistic approaches, the documentary film is working on making an impact. We look for a social return on investment. Audience engagement is a strategy designed to activate audiences and constituencies toward a specific goal. Personal stories of being human in this world, told through talent, passion, dreams and experience engages, inspires and and leaves a lasting impression. It is our aim with The Human Race to connect with its audience and generates empathy. In this way it is likely to gain the traction that an impact campaign requires to make change. By illuminating the human experience, The Human Race can bring audiences inside stories and communities that they might not otherwise be familiar with, provoke dialogue and inspire people to take action.
Mental illness is completely reframed if we learn that conditions like ADHD, autism, or schizophrenia have always been a part of who we are genetically.
Dr. Thomas Werge
Our thoughts and emotions determine us both individually and as a species. We frequently label creative people as “thinking outside the box,” while stigmatizing others who are so far outside the box that they are diagnosed with a mental condition. And we frequently see those who work in science as exceptionally intelligent, while stigmatizing those who are so brilliant that they are diagnosed with autism. But what is the true nature of the relationship between creativity and mental illness? Or intelligence and autism? When does thinking outside the box lead us to leave the box behind completely? When does intelligence turn into autism?
Thomas Werge is positive about how this research may influence public opinion of schizophrenic or bipolar sufferers and helping to reduce the associated stigma. In the same way, the idea behind The 5,000 Ancient Genomes Project is that it can contribute to shed a new light on mental illnesses. What if it turns out that people in the Renaissance also had the genetic predispositions for mental disorders? Or in the Viking Age? Mental diseases have historically had an impact on our behavior and thus on all human achievements.
We are slowly finding out that the mental illnesses are an integral part of humanity. You can’t imagine humanity without the genetics associated with diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism, etc. If we succeeded in editing out autism out of our genomes, we would remove intelligence. If we tried to edit schizophrenia from our genetic material we would lose our imagination. Mental disorders and being human are intimately connected.
The focus of The 5,000 Ancient Genomes Project is to understand why some people have an increased risk of mental disorders as well as other diseases. To look at the origins of these problems, we have to go back into history and study genomes from the past. We try to uncover why we face these challenges that are so prevalent today. Where did they come from? Why did they evolve? These kinds of questions …
Dr. Eske Willerslev
How can you help create lasting and meaningful change?
Learn about our Impact Partner
The Global Anti-Stigma Alliance. The Global Anti-Stigma Alliance aspires to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness worldwide. The Alliance’s mission is to share knowledge, best practices, and the latest research to achieve better outcomes for individuals around the world facing stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. The Alliance and its members commit to honouring the following principles and to let them drive our collective work. Visit the organizatiuon for more information.