THE REPUBLIC’S only arts festival dedicated to promoting mental health awareness has opened in Dublin with a wide range of music, film, theatre and more promised over the next two weeks.
A number of specially commissioned art works have been created to coincide with the start of First Fortnight 2012, which takes place in and around Temple Bar.
The festival is being staged in association with See Change, a Government-backed initiative that seeks to challenge discrimination on mental health issues and is sponsored by The Ticket.
Among the highlights of the festival programme is a concert with bands Cashier No 9, Le Galaxie and Royseven, whose song We Should Be Loverswas the most played Irish single on radio here last year.
Other highlights include a series of new short films from directors such as Hugh O’Connor and Mary Redmond, a number of visual art and photography exhibitions and two performances of 565+, a play that tells the story of how one woman sought solace in the theatre when struggling with depression.
The two-week festival programme got under way last night with the first of three “Therapy Sessions” which feature a mix of poetry and spoken word performances accompanied by live music from acts including the Delorentos and We Cut Corners.
First Fortnight is a volunteer-based project which began with a one-day event in 2010.
The project is so named because the first two weeks of the year is a period generally perceived as particularly difficult for those suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts.
See Change campaign manager Kahlil Thompson-Coyle said yesterday she was hopeful the First Fortnight festival would become a regular event.
“We’re hoping that we can make the first two weeks of the year synonymous with breaking down the stigma associated with mental health problems and show that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes.”
A showing of the acclaimed documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnstonwill take place at the IFI on Saturday as part of the festival.
Johnston, a musician and artist, who has had an ongoing struggle with manic depression, has shown his support for the event by making one of his artworks available for use as a limited edition festival T-shirt.
