A heart-rending film by York mental health charity Menfulness has won a national award.
‘One More Day’ is a personal and poignant examination of the loss wrought by suicide with a powerful message – ‘Don’t Man Up, Speak Up’.
The charity launched the film on International Men’s Day last year, which had the theme ‘Zero Male Suicide’.
Now ‘One More Day’ has won at the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2024. It won a gold award in the Judge’s Choice Category for a charity with less than a £100k turnover.
A Menfulness spokesperson said they were “over the moon” with the win: “Menfulness has now been a charity since May 2022 and we spend much of our time creating events and online spaces to encourage men to speak to each other and try to break down the barriers to accessing counselling.
“This is in no small part in our overall effort to reduce the unacceptable statistics around suicide in men.
“The exposure of such a coveted national ward is incredible for helping further the reach of our message.”
The film was inspired by a poem called ‘One More Day’ written by Menfulness member Matt Kelly.
It was dedicated to the memory of all those we have lost to suicide.
Menfulness contacts
You can find out more about Menfulness – and help their work by making a donation – via their various channels here.
The film was made by member Johnny Mennell from John Francis Films with support from James Buck Films.
It stars one of the charity’s trustees Jack Woodhams, as the father and young actor, Adam Kane as the son.
Menfulness also reached out to all those connected to the charity and asked if anyone would like to commemorate their loved one as part of the video.
Their photographs are shared at the end of the film with the kind permission of their family members.
The set was a real bedroom gifted to the filmmakers for the day by Maria of Pretty Plaits who run the Menfulness monthly dad’s hair school.
The spokesperson said: “So it really has been a team effort and allowed us to make this impactful film on a shoestring budget!”
They added: “Our message is ‘Don’t Man Up, Speak Up’. If you are struggling right now, you’re not alone, there is help available.
|If you think someone you care about might be considering suicide then it’s always better to ask them outright. It might just be the conversation they need.”