Mental health themed drama Antelope released online

The award-winning ‘Antelope’ was based on writer/director Ben Grace’s experiences of mental health and stigmas surrounding a mental health diagnosis after being sectioned at Antelope House, a PICU (Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit) in Southampton.

Ben Grace worked with local NHS providers to ensure that this film was an accurate representation of mental health services in Southampton. With the permission of Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, he filmed the opening scenes inside Antelope House.

It follows Maddie (Becky Mills) who is released into the care of her brother Rupert (Wesley Budd) and sister-in-law April (Joanna Russel) following a stay in hospital after a failed suicide attempt. This hopeful drama sensitively explores how families can readjust their relationships following a mental health crisis.

Antelope been screened at numerous film festivals across Europe, winning the Technical Jury Prize of Meglio Matti Che Corti, an international mental health competition co-run by Arci Modena and the Dipartimento di Salute Mentale e Dipendenze Patologiche.

Locally Antelope was screened as part of Ideas For Wellbeing, a piece of mental health research funded by NHS Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group and run by Healthwatch Southampton and Touch Network, as part of Southampton Film Week 2017. In addition, it has twice been screened at Antelope House, and will be used as a training resource by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.