Unspoken: The South Asian Mental Health Film Festival

The Psychiatry Research Trust was delighted to support the first edition of Unspoken: A Mental Health Film Festival.

 

The festival was created by Tongues on Fire, producers of the UK Asian Film Festival, and conceived under the guidance of one of our Trustees: Professor Dinesh Bhugra. The festival was also supported by Careif (Centre for Applied Research and Innovation in Mental Health), an International charity dedicated to raise awareness of mental health conditions. 

 

The festival, aptly named “Every Mind Has a Voice,” aimed to address the stigma and cultural silence surrounding mental health within South Asian communities and promote open dialogue on emotional wellbeing. 

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Unspoken brought together filmmakers, academics, psychiatrists, activists, and the public throughout October 2025 in various cinemas across London. There were five powerful films from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UK, which spotlighted the realities of mental health, identity, and resilience. ​

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Our chair, Professor Carmine Pariante, hosted the opening and closing night Q&As, sparking conversations that highlighted the power of storytelling through cinema in promoting dialogue on mental health and well-being.

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​The festival was concluded with a powerful message from Professor Bhugra: to truly advance equity in mental health we must all be ambassadors for change by challenging stigma, improving access to services, and supporting vital mental health research.  ​​