When 15-year-old Mary died by suicide, her parents were met with shame and stigma. They refused to be silent.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Helen Newman

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Solstice is a film about suicide - a difficult word still wrapped in awkward silence. To have lost someone to suicide speaks of a grief, loss and heartbreak none of us ever want to know - but sadly many do. Every 40 seconds, someone dies by suicide. I wanted to use this film to push beyond the isolating silence of suicide loss and offer a different narrative for how we can respond to this most shocking of actions, and why we must do so. The film began in 2018 as a story of one regional Australian family, the Bakers, who had lost their 15-year-old daughter Mary to suicide. But, as more and more survivors of suicide added their voices, I increasingly became witness to the failings of our mental health systems and the vast human wreckage being left behind.

So, over the next four years, I sat with families, partners, mothers, wives community leaders. They told their stories. They cried, I cried. We laughed at the absurd and despaired at the needless failings. They shared their memories, precious photos, and videos shot on their phones. And I found each person was driven by the same thing – a deep need to not have others experience the grief they live with. My hope is that Solstice will, in some way, help to ignite the change so desperately needed in our communities, mental health services and government policies.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Mental ill health and suicide do not discriminate whose lives it touches and there are few people whose lives it has not touched, but plenty who have had to live in shame and isolation. I believe the raw honesty of the stories in Solstice makes them relatable and compelling. This is a film where bravery and hope live alongside the deepest of grief. It is this dichotomy of the two extremes that I think audiences will be drawn to - the hope found in the darkness, the determination found when you are broken.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Good storytelling has universally relatable themes woven through the personal stories they tell and Solstice is no different. It is a universal story of people's surprising strength and ability to find hope in the face of heartbreak. As the forces surrounding mental ill health and suicide are explored in the film it becomes, in some ways, a 'David and Goliath' story - brave individuals on the frontline of the battle for better mental health care which their own sons, daughters, mothers and fathers were unable to access.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

For the first year of shooting this film, I had no script. Beyond Mary's beautiful, generous parents, Annette and Stuart, who had invited me into their lives I didn't even know what film I was making - was it about mental ill-health, eating disorders, youth suicide, survivors of suicide? I also found their very personal story was enmeshed in multiple external threads that needed to be untangled: The historical shame and stigma that accompanies mental illness and suicide; the resultant disparity in funding for mental health services compared to physical health services; the impact and cost of collective trauma across communities, cultures and nations; and then the last minute latest curveball, the mental health aftermath of a global pandemic.

The more I researched and filmed more I met people who had lost someone to suicide and wanted to share their story. They were the ones who could best articulate the horrendous cost of suicide. The challenge was to ensure the voices of the survivors were clearly heard within the context of the myriad external forces.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We have had several screenings of Solstice in festivals and it still moves and humbles me how the film seems to resonate for audiences. After a screening we hug, cry, talk, and laugh together. I see survivors of suicide connecting with others in the foyer, possibly being truly heard for the first time by someone who understands. I get messages from others who have seen the film and want to share their story with us or thank us for giving voice to a topic so often avoided.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I'm coming to well and truly understand that there are few people in this world whose lives have not been touched in some way by mental ill health or suicide. I already knew that grief is hard to talk about but I think what has surprised me most is how hungry people actually seem to be to have those difficult conversations when given a safe environment to do so.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We aim to increase the film's reach and believe that We Are Moving Stories is a wonderful resource to help us achieve this.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We would love to connect with distributors, sales agents, buyers and film festival directors.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

My hope is that Solstice helps to begin conversations, unite communities and ignite positive change for those struggling with a mental illness and those left behind when a person dies by suicide.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What is our personal and collective responsibility for people who are suffering from a mental illness or experiencing suicidal ideation.?

Would you like to add anything else?

A big thank you! This film would not have gotten beyond my first conversation with Mary's mother, Annette, if it had not been for the generosity of our local community. When we put the call out for financial support for the film individuals, local businesses and community groups came on board to see it born. Some knew about the Winter Solstice event founded by Mary's parents, some had their own experience of mental ill health or suicide loss. They all knew of the dire need for better mental health services.

Thank you to every person who has trusted us to share their story, and every individual and organisation who invested in the vision.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I have a couple of projects that are in the embryonic stage but for now, we continue to champion Solstice as it reaches further out into the world.

Interview: May 2023

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Solstice

When 15-year-old Mary died by suicide, her parents were met with shame and stigma. They refused to be silent.

Length: 57:21

Director: Helen Newman

Producer: Helen Newman

Writer: Helen Newman

About the writer, director and producer:

HELEN NEWMAN is a multi-award winning Australian writer, director, producer, whose work over the last 20 years has taken her around the globe gathering stories from the inspiring to the heartbreaking. Helen has filmed in war zones, refugee camps, the living rooms of suicide survivors and at the front line of human rights protests. Helen’s documentaries have screened on ABC TV, ABC iView, NITV and at a range of national and international film festivals.

Key cast: Annette Baker (primary character), Stuart Baker (primary character), Joe Williams (secondary character), Lisa Cartledge (secondary character), Connie Boglis (secondary character), Professor Patrick McGorry (mental health expert commentator), Sir Graham Thornicroft (mental health expert commentator)

Looking for: distributors

Facebook: Solstice - The Documentary

Twitter: @NomadFilmsHelen

Instagram: @solsticethedocumentary

Hashtags used: #solsticedocumentary #solsticethedocumentary #nomadfilms #survivorsofsuicideloss #mentalhealthmatters #endthestigma #endthesilence

Website: www.solsticefilm.org

Other: Vimeo

Made in association with: VicScreen, Screen Australia, LM Films

Funders: Self funded, crowd funded, Screen Australia funding, VicScreen Funding

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Melbourne documentary Film Festival, Melbourne - 29 July 2023