Seven-minute film on mental health 'story of hope'

In Look Up, BBC Radio 1 presenter Richie Driss speaks to people, including Kitty, about their mental health issues

A filmmaker said a new short film featuring people who have struggled with their mental health was "a story of hope".

Look Up has interviews with three people who have overcome thoughts about taking their own lives.

It is presented by BBC Radio 1 and ex-Blue Peter Presenter Richie Driss, and made by director Cat White.

White said those in the film were "real people who have found a way to manage their own suicidal thoughts and have come out the other side".

The film is presented by Richie Driss, left, and directed and produced by Cat White, right

White, from Northampton, said she began looking at mental health in her work as her friend took their own life in 2021.

She said: "I made a vow to myself for the rest of my life I will never let someone else I know die in that way.

"I've dedicated my life since then to try to raise and tell stories of hope and help people know that they can get through anything."

White, also a writer and actress, made a short film called Fifty-Four Days, about a young woman processing grief through wild swimming, which starred Celia Imrie.

One of the contributors in the film is Pete, a RAF veteran who runs a walking group to improve mental health

Driss, originally from St Albans, Hertfordshire, said: "There's such a stigma attached and people who have thoughts of suicide feel afraid to speak about it.

"They feel like they don't want to be a burden on their friends and their family, but that is never the case."

The film is seven minutes long, which White said was because she "wanted it to feel accessible".

"We just wanted to tell a story of hope, so no matter how low you get to, you can always look up and that really is the message I want to share," she said.

If you have been affected by the topic discussed in this article, support is available via the BBC Action Line.