Rainbow Touchstones
Press Release – for immediate release 28 September 2009

Documentary producer seeks people from the LGBTI community for digital stories about mental health issues

People from the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities are being invited to take part in the creation of a series of digital stories about being LGBTI and dealing with a broad range of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and self-harm.

Award-winning documentary producer Gareth Watkins has received a 2009 NZ Mental Health Media Grant to create a set of five digital stories that take a personal look at how members of the LGBTI community positively deal with mental health issues.

"I want to create an opportunity for LGBTI people to share their experiences and help others who may currently be experiencing mental health issues," says Gareth, “and in doing so, encourage debate and reduce discrimination around mental illness.” He says that digital storytelling is an exciting way of using new media technologies to reflect back on personal experiences.

"We interweave personal narrative, images and creative writing to form a unique five-minute video that reflects a person’s individual journey. It is a creative process that is very much driven by the participant." The resulting stories will be made available on a free-DVD, on the internet, and will be deposited with the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand.

Gareth says that digital stories are all about establishing a one-to-one connection between the participant and the viewer.

“Having these stories on the internet will allow a global audience to share and learn from these valuable experiences. We will also be able to reach a whole group of people who may not feel comfortable or ready to talk to people around them." 2 Gareth would love to hear from anyone in the LGBTI communities - any age, ethnicity, or location - who would like to be part of this exciting and important project.

“However,” he says, “it is very important that participants are comfortable sharing their story publicly, and aren't currently in a vulnerable or crisis situation.

"This is a chance to share your experience of mental health issues and how you positively dealt with them. In doing so you'll be creating a valuable resource that will be drawn upon by other members in the LGBTI communities for years to come."

ENDS