jrowe

One Interesting Summer turned into Many by Lizbeth

|

My submission is honestly a vent that I have held in since freshman year of high school, when i went to the beach with my church, and when the hangout was over i looked at my phone and saw it had been blowing off, which i didnt find weird because my friends were always blowing up my phone when I wasn’t paying attention. When I realised what had happened, I felt extremely guilty. Another time, that same friend, around a year later, cut his wrists and sent me a photo in a group chat on Discord with a few other mutual friends. Making this animation is a way to thank my friend for not pushing me away while he was struggling and for pushing through and surviving. He is still alive, and I’m thankful that he is.

Full Court Static

|

My short film tells the story of Jordan, a gifted basketball player quietly battling performance anxiety. The visual language reflects his isolation and inner tension, we avoid eye contact with him until the final moments, his hood stays up as a barrier, and he practices alone at night on an empty outdoor court. Subtle details, shaky hands, a distant, zoned-out expression, repeated missed shots, and the exhaustion of chasing the ball, capture the weight of unseen pressure. After a moment of frustration, Jordan chooses to turn back, reclaiming his focus and confidence. Only then do we finally meet his eyes, symbolizing resilience, self-belief, and the importance of empathy, reminding viewers to “walk in someone else’s shoes,” because struggles with mental health are often invisible.

Choose Passion not Poison

|

Our submission follows themes of substance abuse, working against addiction, and nonconformity. It follows the story of Lucia, a girl who is passionate about sports, and her friend Addisyn, who easily falls to peer pressure.

what i don’t say

|

An extroverted teenager with a large circle combats depression and suicidal thoughts behind closed doors. During her last days before her planned suicide, her friends invite her out. Though she’s physically there, her mind drifts off to negative thoughts.

Breaking her facade, she hides in a bathroom stall as she has a mental breakdown; confused with guilt and loneliness.

In the end, her friend walks in offering open arms. At last she exposes her vulnerability, what she was once afraid of. Showing emotional growth; Encouraging viewers to do so too.

I Lost Her

|

This entry is a short film about love and a tragic loss entering the Metal Health category. The short film revolves around a young couple Prince and Sophia that are deeply in love, but one regular day like any other tragedy struck, Sophia tragically died in a car crash, Prince unable to bear the loss of his significant other falls into a deep depression, in doing so he starts to lose himself to the depression eventually making him dangerously close to overdosing, making him blackout until he collapses onto his couch, but in the nick of time Prince’s friend Arthur, manages to find Prince collapsed onto the couch and managed to help Prince embracing him in a hug.

What Are You?

|

Through the art of poetry, I, Kaia Resell, channel the complex and difficult feelings I’ve grown up with as I relate my own identity. Being both Norwegian and Japanese, the daughter of an immigrant, and an American citizen, I’ve felt like the other in a group of minorities; not white enough for the white kids and not asain enough for the asian kids. This PSA is intended to help fellow multiracial, multicultural kids realize that they can accept all aspects of their identity and never let anyone make them feel like they aren’t what they know they are.

“Happy”

|

This film is about a major depressive disorder called smiling depression where individuals appear happy and functional outwardly while hiding intense inner turmoil, anxiety, or despair. T

Quietly suffering

|

Mental health is a major impact on teens. Reach out to others for help.

What if?

|

This video portrays the Hispanic household’s relationships not only within parents but also with friends. Having the necessity to always look perfect and act like everything is okay is something us hispanic teens struggle with the most, usually leading to suppressing our emotions and feel along and helpless. In the Hispanic culture, a man is not supposed to cry is not supposed to be vulnerable and that is why it’s a little harder on us boys to not only seek help but sometimes even understand what our emotions mean and what type of help we need.

The Presentation

|

Our film, “The Presentation” is about a boy named Ethan, who has social anxiety, and his experience of having to present with social anxiety. He works on the presentation slides and when the day comes around, Ethan is terribly anxious at the front of the class. However, a friend of his helps him out, supporting Ethan with presenting.