Premiere screening and discussion of the debut short film 'The Unwavering Spirit of a Caribbean Father' by Dawn-Maria France on Black men's mental health.
Dawn-Maria France is screening her debut short film, The Unwavering Spirit of a Caribbean Father, at Feel Good Factor on Thursday 5 November, from 11am to 3pm. It's a public screening followed by a discussion, so you'll get to see the film and then talk through it with other people in the room.
France is a Yorkshire journalist, screenwriter and mental health advocate, and this is her first short film. It focuses on the mental health challenges faced by Black men, and she's brought in some proper local grounding to get it right: she worked with Aulson Lawrence, leader of The Connect Men's Group, to make sure Black men's voices and lived experiences were represented authentically. The film draws on real-life perspectives from members of the Leeds Connect Men's Group, so it's rooted in the city's own community rather than just talking about it from the outside. France herself has formal training in mental health, science and psychology, which sits behind the work.
She made the film to mark Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, with the aim of helping to dismantle the barriers and stigmas that still surround men's mental health. It's not just a local premiere, either — it's been submitted to a range of film festivals, so this is one of the first times it's being shown.
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If you want to catch it, head to Feel Good Factor at 53 Louis Street, Leeds, LS7 4BP, on Thursday 5 November. It runs from 11am to 3pm, with the screening and the discussion both part of the session.
