New documentary on grief during COVID-19 at Stroud Film Festival
/The COVID-19 crisis has prompted us all to think a bit more about death and what it means for us and our loved ones. It has also provided an unparalleled opportunity to place the importance of talking about dying, death and bereavement firmly on the national agenda.
Find out more and how to buy tickets at the Stroud Film Festival website.
Following on from their highly acclaimed film ‘A Love that Never Dies’, The Good Grief Project charity is proud to present their new film ‘Beyond the Mask’, a thought-provoking documentary that examines the lived experience of grief during the pandemic.
Produced by acclaimed filmmakers, Jimmy Edmonds and Jane Harris and made entirely during the pandemic, BEYOND THE MASK Stroud premiere will be screened both live and online for he 2021 Stroud Film Festival.
Director, Jane Harris says 'Grief in these times has thrown up new challenges for us,” and ‘Beyond The Mask’ invites us to “re-evaluate what is important in our lives.'
She continues, 'So many people feel unheard and isolated and need to be free to speak about their experiences and we want to help share them.'
It is estimated that 2.5 million lives have been lost to the pandemic worldwide. For each life lost, between 5 and 9 others are affected in a significant way. This means there are potentially 22 million bereaved individuals who have been catapulted into grief at the hand of the Coronavirus, many of whom will suffer poor mental health having been robbed of opportunities to properly say goodbye to their loved ones. And, there are echoes of Harris and Edmonds’ personal trauma – their son Josh died suddenly, a long way from home – they too never got to say goodbye.
Jane Harris is also a psychotherapist and invites intimate reflections from the participants despite the fact that all her conversations are conducted remotely.
Featuring Palliative Care Consultant turned author and campaigner, Dr Kathryn Mannix expresses her fears about life after Covid:
'One of the things everyone is worried about is what is the bereavement epidemic going to look like after this’.
The film also looks at the toll lockdown is having on people with life-limiting illnesses and features disability campaigner Lucy Watts MBE (27) who is terrified she will be refused treatment should she be admitted to hospital. Watts comments:
'Covid has brought out the worst in all of this – we are making judgements based on resources and on who’s the fittest. I very much worry that there will be a judgement my life is not worth living'
Beyond The Mask explores many aspects that both grief and the pandemic share – isolation, mask wearing, the sense of time stopping, the loss of confidence, the challenge to one’s sense of self, the damage to mental health and of course the various ways we are having to adjust to our “new normal”.
