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Cairo's First Medical Film Festival Targets Mental Health Taboos

The first Cairo edition of Medfest begins on the 27th of January with the aim of raising awareness about mental health through film.

Staff Writer

In its first ever Cairo edition, Medfest - a forum dedicated to creating mental health awareness through film - will feature a two-day screening event titled Under The Skin: A Cinematic Voyage into Mental Health on the 27th and 28th of January 2016. The screening consists of various carefully selected short films that shed light on multiple mental illnesses.

The primary aim of Medfest is to create a platform for dialogue and debate on the medical taboo that is mental health through the artistic medium of film. Seeing as film plays a rather significant role in shaping public opinion and relieving the tensions that surround sensitive topics, Medfest will serve as a key player in attempting to bridge the gap between mental health taboos and the Egyptian public. 

According to the Medfest press release, this first edition will focus on depression, psychosis, and dementia through an analysis of how these illnesses cause traumatic experiences for patients and their families. Each film screening will also be followed by a Q&A session between the audience a panel of speakers that include psychologists, psychiatrists, filmmakers and medical students.

The first day of the screening (27th) will be held in the Cinema El Ebdaa Centre at The Cairo Opera House from 6 to 10 PM. The second screening will be held in The Falaki Theatre at the AUC, also from 6 to 10 PM.

Check out the Facebook page here.

Main image retrieved from Facebook.