"We have chosen this theme because we want to explore avenues that unite us, despite our individual differences. Whether it's differing sexual orientations, mental or other illnesses, diversity in religious beliefs, appearances of our bodies, skin color, or age, the key to getting along is understanding oneself and finding empathy, respect, and regard for others," explains Petr Winkler, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. In addition to diversity, the festival will address questions on how to talk about mental health and will present personal stories of individuals with experience of mental illness. Other topics will include Alzheimer's disease, body shaming, loneliness in old age, suicides and survivors, children's mental health, autism, psychedelics, and intergenerational transmission of trauma.

AI and Children´s Mental Health Care

"New this year is artificial intelligence, or AI. There has been a significant boom in this field over the past year, and we will be devoting attention to it, focusing on mental health and ethics. The discussion with leading expert Jan Romportl and Professor Jiří Horáček will be moderated by Petr Koubský, editor of Deník N for science and technology," describes Karolína Mladá, the festival's programming head. Both speakers are working together on a mobile application designed to help children navigate social media and the internet.

"The festival will kick off on Thursday with an exhibition opening of Teryll ART: The Psyche in Pictures and screenings of two films - Blízko and DogMan. Also noteworthy is the closing film of the festival followed by a discussion, One Life, which tells the story of Sir Nicholas Winton and was filmed in Prague. Considering the alarming results of the national monitoring of children's mental health, we have also included a workshop for parents titled How to Care for Children's Mental Health, organized by the Nevypusť duši organization. An interactive seminar with singer Ridina Ahmedová and a discussion with media personalities on how to talk about mental health in the public sphere will also be part of the program," adds Karolína Mladá.

Mental health concerns everyone

Compared to previous years, this year's program will feature two new theater performances: 3 testry performed by Divadlo Šumperk and Love Bombing by the Prague-based Kolektiv Nesladim. "We are very excited to welcome the audience, and we are glad that the theme interests them and that their participation contributes to organizing destigmatization activities. We believe that mental health deserves greater attention because it affects each and every one of us," concludes Karolína Mladá.

The festival, which has inspired similar events both domestically and internationally and won the National Psychiatric Award of Professor Vladimír Vondráček in 2019, continuously focuses on various aspects of mental health, particularly psychological and psychiatric care, sleep, sexuality, art, drugs, and virtual reality. It consistently promotes discussions on mental health in the public sphere, thus improving the quality of life for people with mental illnesses. For more information about the festival, interested individuals can visit www.festivalnahlavu.cz.

For further information, please contact:

Pavla Chlebounová

Email: pavla.chlebounova@gmail.com

Phone: 725 992 047

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