Brain Film Fest 2021, the international film festival dedicated to the brain, this year addresses mental health in times of pandemic. Through the Festival website, spectators can vote for the Audience Award for Online Shorts. We show you these emotional micro shorts that will not leave you indifferent.
The pandemic and confinement have notably affected the mental health of the population – both individually and collectively – according to several surveys and studies carried out in this regard. These psychic sequelae of the lived trauma center this year 2021 the international film festival dedicated to the brain, the Brain Film Fest.
The consequences for mental health have been so many during this pandemic, mainly caused by the stress that uncertainty creates and by an excess of situations that overwhelm us, that the WHO has named what is happening: we suffer “pandemic fatigue.” Sadness, irritability, tiredness, exhaustion, and negative or unpleasant emotions are some of the consequences of pandemic fatigue.
Approximately 9 out of ten Spaniards declare having suffered stress during the last 12 months, according to the III Aegon Health and Life Study. In this context, the Brain Film Fest 2021 this year deals with the psychological consequences of the pandemic and reflects on the importance and challenges of mental health.
During the festival, as in previous editions, the Solé Prize will be awarded, which recognizes the best short films about the brain and the mind. Likewise, the Audience Award for Online Shorts will also be awarded, the voting of which is already open on the festival’s website. We show you below the 8 micro shorts that participate in the contest. They will not leave you indifferent.
8 MICRO SHORTS ON THE PANDEMIC AND MENTAL HEALTH
In less than 2 minutes, the authors of these micro shorts invite us to reflect in a very emotional way on different aspects related to mental health and the pandemic. You can see them below and vote for the one you like the most here.
1. “The game”
“The Game”, by David Mora, is a story with an unexpected ending that shows us the psychological consequences for families that have not been able to accompany the elderly who have had to face Covid-19 in loneliness.
2. “El Montogomery Clint Español”
There are things that are difficult to explain and we have to resort to other ways to make them less painful. In this microfilm, entitled “El Montogomery Clint Español”, by Xoán Fórneas, a boy calls his grandmother during confinement to give her special news.
3. “Ill”
Why is it so hard for us to admit that we are not okay? “Ill” is a micro short created by Fernando Ruiz that reflects on the taboos that still exist when it comes to expressing how we really feel.
4. “Glitch”
Loneliness and lack of contact with the people around us have hit our mental health during the pandemic. In the micro short “Glitch” by Rodrigo Emmanuel Patiño, the protagonist accuses the consequences of the lack of social contact.
5. “Cerval”
Anxiety has been one of the most present symptoms during the pandemic. In this micro short titled “Cerval”, created by Penelope Castillo, this feeling is approached in a crude way.
6. “The man who never saw rain”
In “The man who never saw it rain” the creator of the microfilm, Miguel Muñoz, uses animation to invite reflection on the role of the psychologist in mental health.
7. “Searching”
The pandemic and confinement have thrown us into the undisciplined use of screens. “Searching”, by Manuel Martin Merino, is a critique of how living through screens can disconnect us from reality, our environment and people.
8.”To the limit”
To what extent has the pandemic pushed us to the limit? Albert Pages, Genes Segarra, Elian Largo, Pavel Eroles and Gabriel Solà explore the limits and effects of experiences on our personality in the microfilm entitled “Al Límit”.
