Health & Wellbeing
Documentaries can raise awareness about important health challenges, confront societal perceptions and stereotypes surrounding health conditions and combat stigma and discrimination.
In ancient civilisations, health practices were often tied to religious or spiritual beliefs. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, public health movements emerged aiming to improve living conditions and prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Major milestones in public health included the discovery of antibiotics, the development of vaccines, and the establishment of healthcare systems and policies.
However, in recent times, health and wellbeing have become even more significant global concerns. With an increased focus on mental health, an aging population, a mobile global population and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as the recent COVID pandemic, we are faced with pressing health challenges and possible solutions.
By presenting gripping stories, expert perspectives, and personal narratives, documentaries can contribute to the public discourse on health and wellbeing and spur viewers to understand, empathise and/or take action. Documentaries can raise awareness about important health challenges, confront societal perceptions and stereotypes surrounding health conditions and combat stigma and discrimination.
Disparities in health outcomes based on socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography are becoming increasingly evident. Documentaries highlight these disparities by providing a platform for marginalised communities and groups to share their experiences. They are a call to action that can motivate us to assemble resources and support for research, treatment programs, and community interventions.
Documentaries can inspire us to manage our health better, volunteer our time, donate our resources, and advocate for policy changes that address health and wellbeing issues.
Case Study: Ghosthunter
A Western Sydney security guard and part-time ghost hunter, Jason King, has spent two decades searching for his absent father. As a survivor of trauma, he seeks to reconcile his fractured memories and piece together his past. When his search converges with a police investigation, a family secret is exposed – forcing him to confront a brutal past in order to claim his future.
Films that need your support
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Will McDonald
Prostate cancer is curable, yet it kills 3,800 Australian men every year. A survivor investigates why, and what must change.
Kasimir Burgess
A son's portrait of his celebrated architect father becomes an intimate meditation on memory, identity and the invisible architecture of a life.
Heath Davis
The untold tumultuous life of the man who became an icon after his theatrical arrest during a “succulent Chinese meal”.
A feminist researcher joins a boys rite of passage in the Canadian wilderness to explore its role in preventing violence
Ian Eckersley, Veronica Fury & Jack Lawrence
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15-44 with veterans at higher risk. One swim could save lives
Founders Nic and Lucas transform lives through Orange Sky, restoring hope and connection for people experiencing homelessness.
The Plastic Country
Completed filmAn Australian filmmaker investigates the plastic crisis, uncovering a hidden threat to our health, and our future.
Some dreams take you higher, others bring you home. This is the untold story of Summer Jam.
