BAMH Films

Today is World Mental Health Day, so in honour of that, we wanted to just take a little time to be frank about one of our own team member’s mental health in the hopes that our openness and vulnerability might help others.

One of our Co-Founders, Ivy, has struggled with their mental health for most of their life having been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, BPD & PTSD. Coupled with her ASD and ADHD, it hasn’t been the easiest of things to manage. She often feels alone, unable to reach out to people, or even to get out of bed in the morning. The knock-on effects this has to her everyday life are huge and when you add running a business on top of that, things can feel nigh on impossible.

Working in film, we know the depictions of mental health being glamourised are harmful to people being able to have their struggles taken seriously and reinforces the stigmas surrounding it. Being vocal will break that down over time.

It is important to know you are not alone, but not in that cliché way that everyone says. Genuinely, you aren’t.

We know that there is a severe lack of funding right now, but please access support if you need it.

"I wanted to take today to reflect on the past month as we conclude Pain Awareness Month.

I suffer from Chronic Pain and multiple Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities that cause me pain every single day. It is my baseline, and I unfortunately can’t remember what it was like to not be in pain, but I am not unique in my experience. There are countless people that you probably encounter every single day who can mask their pain so well because it is their normal. If you were to feel what we feel daily, you’d have to take the week off, whereas we are expected to carry on. When we verbalise our pain, that’s when you truly know it is excruciating, because it was always painful, but now it’s even worse.

It is utterly exhausting, and yet, we persist. I encourage you to give people grace, allow people to work sitting down when they would usually stand, and make accommodations. Make yourself aware and educate yourself on other people’s experiences. All industries need to do better, but film has a long way to go in terms of accessibility on set. Starting these conversations may not change much on their own, but they could be the start of something larger."

- Ivy