Students and their teacher from Youthreach Ballinrobe celebrate. At back, from left: Kaitlin Heneghan, Kaja Marusauskaite, Ryan Kerr, Farrah McHugh and Niamh Hamilton. At front: Paul Mekitarian, Leeanne Coyne, Forest Brown and Kateryna Lokhai. Photo: Marc O'Sullivan

Mayo students winners in Frame of Mind short film competition

STUDENTS from Youthreach Ballinrobe were awarded a top prize at a special screening in the Irish Film Institute as Walk in My Shoes crowned the winners of its Frame of Mind short film competition, in partnership with Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.

Held annually, Frame of Mind is an initiative of Walk in My Shoes, the flagship awareness-raising campaign of St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services, that uses the mediums of short film and photography to help to promote positive mental health and reduce stigma around mental health difficulties.

Matilda star Alisha Weir led congratulations to the students: “I think everyone nominated should be really proud of themselves, and have done an amazing job. The message of the Frame of Mind competition is so important. It’s a great way for us to use our creativity and our voice to make something together - but most importantly, to talk to each other about things we don’t normally talk about. Congratulations.”

In celebration of the competition’s 10-year anniversary, Walk in My Shoes partnered with Screen Ireland to help to amplify positive mental health messages while also showcasing emerging young talent within the sector.

Some 81 students from nine counties across Ireland were shortlisted in this year’s competition, which was open to secondary schools, special education schools, Youthreach centres and Further Education and Training (FET) centres.

Youthreach Ballinrobe were named winners in the Short Film category with 'Saving Sadie'.

Students from Youthreach Ballinrobe receiving their award from Frame of Mind judge and RTÉ Guide movies editor, Michael Doherty. From left: Forest Brown, Leeanne Coyne and Kateryna Lokhai. Photo by Marc O'Sullivan

Winning short films will now be featured on Screen Ireland’s Short Film Player, adding to its existing curated selection of new, emerging and established Irish talent across short filmmaking and providing an additional platform for sparking important conversations about mental health.

A playlist of all shortlisted and winning films will be available to view on Walk in My Shoes’ YouTube channel, while the winning films can also be viewed here on the Screen Ireland short film player.