The Myth of the Mad Genius

On 26 March 2015 the Mental Health Foundation staged The Dust of Everyday Life, a conference at the CCA in Glasgow designed to ask challenging questions about the relationship between mental health and the arts. The findings will help to shape future editions of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, as we prepare for our tenth programme in 2016. The Dust of Everyday Life consisted of a series of panel discussions touching on film, TV, theatre, photography, and writing, as well as stigma, social justice and raising awareness. This is a recording of our session on film, The Myth of the Mad Genius, which explored stigmatising depictions of creatives in cinema, and how filmmakers might move beyond the usual types and tropes. The panel consisted of Dr Peter Byrne (consultant psychiatrist and visiting professor at University of Strathclyde, Hannah McGill (critic and former director of Edinburgh International Film Festival)and Emma Davie(documentary filmmaker and programme director, Edinburgh College of Art). It was chaired by Richard Warden (filmmaker and film curator at Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival).