'When I started hearing voices, I worried I'd lose my job' - Powerful films tell mental health stories of people in Bradford

The films, commissioned by Bradford 2025, were screened at the National Science and Media Museum in the city last month and are now available to watch through Bradford District and Craven Mind, a charity that collaborated on the project, alongside the Bradford District Health and Care Partnership and Healthy Minds.

Created by Yorkshire-based filmmakers Pishdaad Modaressi and Matt Radcliffe, the films feature a range of people sharing their mental health journeys.

“It’s important to platform voices in Bradford around mental health,” says Pish, who was behind Emily’s film, and another exploring young people’s stories around mental health. “Some of the young people that we spoke to, they've never really spoken about it to even their own family. A film like this might give someone who doesn't usually share their struggles a way to do so, that allows them to not just get out of their system, but to view it themselves in a third person.”

“I think the films will be a time capsule for people to see that in 2025 this is what the state of mental health in Bradford was like or a snapshot of it,” the 29-year-old adds. “We only really scratched the tip of the iceberg.”

The third film, by Matt, focuses on a mental health engagement programme, which ran through 2025. The aim was to ensure that people living with long term mental health challenges could be part of Bradford’s year as City of Culture, and it supported more than 350 adults living with serious mental illnesses to attend a range of Bradford 2025 events and activities including guided walks, live music, theatre, comedy, exhibitions, outdoor events and artist-led workshops.

There were also two week-long residencies that took a ‘slice of Bradford 2025‘ onto the wards at Lynfield Mount hospital and Airedale Centre for Mental Health – and Matt’s film also tells the story of that work.

Sara Robinson, who is the Mental Health Engagement Lead for Bradford 2025, reflects on the impact of the scheme. One man left his house for the first time in ten years, she explains, and another, who experiences psychosis, found the confidence to attended 12 events without the support of his care coordinator.

“The year of culture was for everyone,” she says. “People that struggle with long term mental health conditions can often be overlooked or forgotten because it’s just so tough sometimes to even leave the house. We wanted to go the extra mile to say this is for you too, it’s your year.”

“The thing about art is it can help people give expression beyond words, without having to talk,” she continues. “It can give shape to things you might be feeling. It brings connection. Not everyone wants to chat to someone but they might want to be in a room with people so they feel less isolated…Art can remind us that we aren’t alone. It can help us feel seen...It can also be a wonderful distraction and a relief from painful feelings and busy minds.”

Bradford District and Craven Mind is now set to continue the legacy of the scheme, with the launch of a two-year creative connection programme. Funded through a grant from the Baring Foundation, matched by the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, it aims to support 600 local people living with a severe mental illness to access cultural events, creative activities and artist-led projects that could help them express their feelings and build engagement with the arts.

Heather Butcher, Director of Adult Services at Bradford District and Craven Mind, says: “Our partnership with City of Culture has shone a spotlight on the vital link between creativity and good mental health. The personal stories shared through this work are powerful, and will continue to inspire future collaborations that use creative practice to support wellbeing.”

- The mental health films can be viewed on the @BDCMind Youtube channel.