Animated shorts are a powerful medium for addressing mental health issues, offering a unique and often visually compelling way to explore complex emotions and inner struggles. These 9 short films vividly depict experiences like anxiety, depression, trauma and personal growth, often capturing the nuance of these conditions in ways that words alone cannot. By destigmatising mental health struggles the films also serve as a valuable tool for raising awareness, fostering conversations and promoting understanding about emotional well-being. And apart from anything else – they will make you laugh and make you cry!
Several of the filmmakers will be in attendance after the screening to talk about these astounding and heart-felt films in a roundtable discussion. Panellists will be announced in November.
The Flames of Me (Je m’appelle Daniel) – Daniel Léger, Canada
Created with fire and soot, this animated short recounts one man’s journey through shadow and light after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his thirties.
2026 10’00 min
Stumbling Blocks – Tortor Smith, UK
When everything falls apart, how do you find your balance again? From literal loss, to masking identity struggles, anxiety and depression… This is a film that illustrates the combustion that happens when you try to hold something in.
2025 3’50 min
Small Hours – Oscar Wyndham Lewis, UK
Struggling with alcohol addiction and mental illness, an artist reaches out to an old friend.
2026 11’00 min
Misophonia – Michelle Gruppetta, Malta
A visceral risograph animation plunges the audience into a disquieting world where sound and image collide. Inspired by an aural disorder, its unsettling soundscape and hypnotic visuals turn everyday trigger noises into an intense sensory experience.
2025 3’10 min
I wish I was There – Flora Martyr, UK
Whilst relaxing abroad on a solo holiday, a woman receives a series of phone calls from the hospital. She decides to ignore these in effect to enjoy her vacation, but her imagination gets the better of her. An unpleasant time ensues, with the growing realisation that she needs to confront her fears.
2025 9’45 min
The Art of Understanding – Isolde Godfrey, Jess Harvey, UK
Through art, storytelling and personal reflection, young refugees and asylum seekers share candid experiences of mental health, belonging and identity in a new city. A poignant portrait of finding connection, navigating uncertainty and building a new life in Nottingham.
2026 4’20 min
Yellow Line – Maggie Norris, UK
Alone in the city, a girl on the edge. Growing up without care, is she about to make a leap across the line? Into the darkness or the light?
2026 12’40 min
Safe Place – Darma Genuardi, Switzerland
Charlie lives with PTSD after her brother’s suicide. Beneath an outwardly ordinary life, she faces invisible struggles that isolate her from others and that make even simple interactions difficult. Through therapy and time, she slowly develops tools to cope and regain stability.
2026 6’35 min
Keith – Steven Fraser, UK
The story of the filmmaker who found a dead body behind the rubbish bins at his flat in Glasgow, Scotland.
2025 8’00 min
Our Funding Partners
With Special Thanks to The Elf Factory, official sponsor of LIAF 2026.
With Special Thanks to the Arts Council England
Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
Venue
The Horse Hospital is a three tiered progressive arts venue in London providing an encompassing umbrella for the related media of film fashion, music and art. For more information about The Horse Hospital and how to get there, find out more.
Horse Hospital, Online
