My Mind On Film 2021 submission deadline: Dec 31, 2021

GOLDEN Screen Cinemas (GSC) and the Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing recently launched the second season of the My Mind On Film (MMOF2021) Youth Mental Health Film Festival in conjunction with World Mental Health Day (Oct 10).

MMOF2021, themed Heart and Mind, will be accepting submissions from young filmmakers until Dec 31, 2021.

This year’s grand prize will see the top filmmaker walk away with RM10,000 and the chance to produce a short film on mental health (valued at RM30,000), which will be screened in GSC theatres, with full production support from GSC.

“As one of the leading cinema exhibitors in Malaysia, we are fully committed to developing and nurturing local filmmaking talent,” says GSC Movies general manager Tung Yow Kong who is one of the MMOF2021 jurors.

“MMOF2021 provides this opportunity to budding and young filmmakers, and we look forward to creating and sharing powerful messages about mental health through cinema.”

The competition jurors include Edward Lim, a past winner at the BMW Shorties film festival.

“RM30,000 funding is an amazing way to transform a vision into reality and provides an excellent way to progress as a filmmaker. This grant really boosts MMOF and we’re looking forward to seeing some fantastic submissions,” says Lim who has been with MMOF since the first season.

MMOF2020 finalist Ahmad Shah Ahmad Shahrifuddin says: “MMOF was a life-changing experience for me as a young filmmaker. I wouldn’t have been accepted into ASWARA (National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage) if not for MMOF.”

Films produced by all finalists will be screened at GSC at an awards ceremony in January 2022.

Prizes – film industry placement, counselling sessions with mental health professionals, and university study awards – will be announced soon.

MMOF2021 juror Tunku Mona Riza Tunku Khalid, whose film Redha is about a family’s experience with autism, was selected as Malaysia’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.

“I strongly believe that through film, true life can be reflected, and the emotions can be felt by the audience. Redha elevated the understanding of autism to those who watched it,” she says.

MMOF2020 Winner Cheong Yok Yee comments: “I had the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, meet new people, and I learnt a lot throughout the entire process of participating in My Mind on Film.”

In addition to continuing the two categories of Young Adults (aged 18 to 25) and High Schoolers (aged 15+), and following many submissions from around the world in the first season, MMOF2021 sees the introduction of the Non-Malaysian (International) category.

“I was truly amazed by the quality of the films in the festival last year, and we have since actually worked with Ahmad Shah to produce a short film that is being used as part of our ‘A Conversation on Suicide’ intervention. MMOF is a uniquely accessible way to inspire and empower around mental health,” says Malaysian Mental Health Association president Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj, who is one of the founders of the Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.

The organisers are committed to making the festival a shared experience with the continued objectives of inspiring sharing of perspectives and ideas and breaking down stigma.

All selected films from the MMOF2020 Virtual Festival can be viewed here.

You can learn more about MMOF2021 by contacting the MMOF festival team (mymindonfilm.my@gmail.com) or go to https://filmfreeway.com/mymindonfilm where you can also submit your film.

You can access related sites here and follow My Mind on Film on Facebook and Instagram.