Better Health For All

Would I like to observe the judging panel of the fourth biannual International Public Health Film competition? There’s only one answer to that question and it’s a big YES! Finally – my chance to be at the table with a veryimpressive line-up of judges, discussing all things international, public health, and film – my favourite ingredients for a great afternoon.

Established in 2016, the International Public Health Film competition (IPHFC) and associated Public Health Film Festival (PHFF) celebrates diversity in public health film. The event, run by a UK registered charity, is one several public health-related film events (see below) that have taken place over the last decade to provide a platform for film makers working in this field to showcase their work, and for health specialists to engage with artists and visual story-tellers about public health topics.

Illustrating the increasing popularity of film as a medium to convey public health messages, the first International Public Health festival received 84 films from 20 countries in 2016. This time around, despite or even because of the recent pandemic, the competition received over 1,400 films from 100 countries! Unsurprisingly, around one in six submissions included a COVID-19 theme, but topics otherwise showcased just how wide the wider determinants of health are.  

The IPHFC has kept its inclusion criteria deliberately broad, allowing submissions from all over world, covering all manner of subjects, and any duration: from a few minutes to well, how long is a reel of film?

In preparation for the judging committee, I spent a weekend on my sofa with suitable public-health-approved snacks, watching the ten shortlisted films. Testament to just how well the films were scripted, acted, filmed, and produced, it was an emotional two days as I joined the characters on their journeys through mental health, physical health, and natural disasters. Moments of light and joy and humour provided an appropriate counterbalance to the call to action running as an undercurrent through many of the films. The cinematography was, at times, absolutely breath taking and I was briefly transported from my mid-terrace in autumnal Wales into others’ lives across the world.

Then, the day arrived! I was honoured (and slightly nervous) to be around the virtual table with an incredibly impressive judging panel, comprising:

• Dr Uy Hoang, President, Public Health Film Society and Chair of the UK Faculty of Public Health Specialist Interest Group in Film  
• Professor Kevin Fenton, President of the UK Faculty of Public Health 
• Linda Bergonzi-King, Chair of the American Public Health Association (APHA) Global Public Health Film Festival, Producer/ Director/ Consultant at TriBella Productions 
• Nimish Kapoor, Festival Director, National / International Science Film Festivals of India 
• Dr Olena Seminog, Vice-President, Public Health Film Society and Researcher at Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford 

But how could we possibly choose the “best” film? What even is the “best” film? The first festival sparked the development of formal public health film judging criteria, based on criteria used by others such as the American Movie Awards. Ten criteria were developed and tested in 2016; it is these criteria that we used in our discussions. They are:

1. Originality and creativity
2. Public health importance
3. Plot and structure
4. Pacing
5. Character and storyline
6. Cinematography and direction
7. Entertainment value / watchability
8. Dialogue
9. Overall quality of production
10. Use and evaluation of impact

The scoring criteria guided us through critiquing and analysing the relative merits of each film, as well as facilitating increased transparency in the judges’ decision making. However, there is more to decisions than simply numbers, as the shortlisted films were so diverse, tackling different subjects in very different ways, and ranging from 5 minutes’ duration to full feature length. Cue, stage right: the judging panel discussion!

An animated conversation started almost immediately, the judges’ passion for film immediately evident. Judges brought different ideas and perspectives to the virtual table, by virtue of their diversity of background, film, and public health experience, as well as varied life experiences. One film, for example, could have been a Hollywood movie for its cinematic tricks – but fell short with its consistency in health messaging. This demonstrates the importance of a broad array of marking criteria, but mostly the importance of a multi-disciplinary discussion to ensure the winning films contained the right balance between filmic quality and public health messages that were conveyed. Agreement was important: the winning films would be endorsed by the group, and it was essential we were all happy with the group decision. We returned again and again to the importance of a consistent public health message. Enjoying the benefits of a geographically diverse panel, we considered how different films may be received by different communities across the world, and how that influenced the messages contained within the film.

Eventually, consensus was reached! All the winning films were high-scoring, and in our conversations it was clear that we had all earmarked these films as having a je ne sais quoi, films that had stimulated an emotional response in us all.

The judges’ prize went to A Fire Inside, which thoroughly deserves the accolade. A full-length feature film taking on Australia’s devastating “Black Summer” bushfires in 2019/2020, the film sensitively tells the stories of the heroes on the frontline of firefighting and the “heroes in plain clothes” supporting them. Beautifully and respectfully filmed and with incredibly powerful cinematography, we were shown “hell on earth”. Once the fires were dowsed, feelings of abandonment and trauma surfaced amongst those affected. Scenes of utter devastation filled the screen. But, amongst the charred landscape, we saw volunteers overwhelmed by donations, we heard of the kindness of strangers and those who saw an opportunity to help, and so helped. A poignant film which shows the power of healing.

Given the high quality of the entries, the judges deemed three other films deserved an honourable mention given their filmic quality or the impact of their public health message: Hysterical Sisters; Solstice; and A Black Cloud.

Hysterical Sisters is a beautifully choreographed and narrated fusion of art, storytelling, information, and film which tackles stigma head on.  The impact of two common conditions (endometriosis and adenomyosis) on every aspect of the women’s everyday lives – school, relationships, others’ indifference to their pain – and the surrounding silence by society, by the medical profession, by research, is viscerally told.

Solstice broke my heart. Dedicated to Mary and those who didn’t make the night, Mary Baker’s parents tell their story of losing their teenage daughter to suicide. Interspersed with stories told by others who have lost loved ones, the message is clear: different people, different backgrounds – we can all be affected. Mary’s parents, now well known for their advocacy around mental health and suicide prevention, organise an annual event, Solstice, which mobilises the community, supports people affected by mental health concerns to work together towards a common cause, and to campaign: “in community lies strength”. In 2021, Solstice filled out the square it was hosted in, and was watched by 20,000 people across the globe. Mary’s story was invited to join the Museum of Lost and Found Potential in London, as the Australian exhibit. The film provides hope that change is happening, and political space is being made for suicide prevention.

The short film A Black Cloud cleverly uses real patient voices with animations to tell women’s stories of reproductive trauma and bereavement. It is a powerful, moving, sensitive, compassionate, and brave insight into very personal experiences which are often not shared. The film comforts those affected that they are not alone, and encourages them to seek help to start their own journey of recovery.

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Thank you very much to Dr Uy Hoang, for inviting me to join the judging panel. I very much enjoyed all the shortlisted films, and our discussions during the competition. I look forward to watching this genre expand over the next few years, and who knows, maybe we’ll be organising the Public Health Oscars one day soon!

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For more information on the Public Health Film SIG: https://www.fph.org.uk/policy-advocacy/special-interest-groups/special-interest-groups-list/public-health-film-special-interest-group/

For more information on the International Public Health Film competition: 

• https://publichealthfilms.org/international-public-health-film-competition-2022/%20
• Hoang, U et al (2017) First International Public Health Film Competition 2016—reflections on the development and use of competition judging criteria, Journal of Public Health, available from: https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/40/1/169/3089818%20

Other Public Health Film festivals include:

• The American Public Health Association Film Festival: http://www.apha.org/filmfest
• The Global Health Film Festival: http://www.globalhealthfilm.org/
• Medfest: http://www.medfest-archive.com/aboutmedfest.htm
• Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival: https://www.mhfestival.com/

For more projects offered through the FPH: https://www.fph.org.uk/training-careers/specialty-training/training-placements/fph-projects-scheme/

Dr Emily Clark

February 2023