Local Filmmaker Captures Solstice Journey and Beyond

Border Trust fundraising event “On The Couch” presents a film produced locally and inspired by the annual community event, Winter Solstice.

Established in 2013 by the founders of Survivors of Suicide and Friends, Annette and Stuart Baker, the community event has had a significant impact on bringing the subject of suicide and mental illness into the public forum.

Albury filmmaker Helen Newman has put the finishing touches on a production that was inspired by the Winter Solstice event.

“I began working about two years ago now in what has been a long, slow, interesting road and incredibly amazing,” Helen said.

Helen Newman in the editing studio. Photo credit: Natalie Ord

“The premise of the story is, when I started to look at suicide and mental health, I found again and again that the voices on the front line, agitating for change, for better funding and better services were people who had lost someone to suicide or had their own suicide attempt.

“That’s the story I started to follow, these people who had the most heartbreaking tragedy, the most intense experiences who are now stepping out and saying, ‘we don’t want this to happen to someone else’.

Albury’s Winter Solstice was the starting point for the film, but quickly expanded.

“That event has certainly changed conversations in our community about suicide and mental health, but the film then goes beyond that to a national and even global level, where every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide.

“We don’t have parity in funding with medical health, so we need to look at that at policy level, so the film’s quite broad.”

Helen’s film will be shown at the Border Trust’s ‘On the Couch’ event on Saturday 23 November from 4.30pm – 6.30pm at Regent Cinemas.

Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=550158&