This event is supported by our Screen Culture Funding program

Register now for a free screening (delivered online) of the feature documentrary The Show Must Go On followed by a panel moderated by producer Sue Maslin AO.

The panel will include Ben Steel (writer/director) along with Julia Edwards (Entertainment Assist), producer Pauline Clague and wellbeing expert to be confirmed. The panel will discuss the issues raised in the film, what action the broader industry can take, as well as provide tools and resources to support individuals. 

A must-see for all those working in the arts and entertainment industry, particularly as our industry is entering a difficult time with more specific challenges coinciding with COVID-19.

While ‘show business’ is often seen as glamorous, fun, exciting, and well paid, the reality paints a darker picture. Recent research by Entertainment Assist shows anxiety symptoms in entertainment workers are 10 times higher, sleep disorders are 7 times higher and symptoms of depression are 5 times higher than the national average.

ABOUT THE FILM

The Show Must Go On is the first film to tell the story of the mental health of the 42,000 people working in the Australian arts and entertainment industry. While ‘show business’ is often seen as glamorous, fun, exciting and well paid, recent and alarming world-first research from Entertainment Assist and Victoria University paints a darker picture for entertainment workers. Anxiety symptoms are 10 times higher, sleep disorders are 7 times higher and symptoms of depression are 5 times higher than the national average. Suicide attempts in the industry are double the national average.

This film follows former Home and Away actor and debut documentary filmmaker Ben Steel on a soul-searching investigation into why are there so many arts and entertainment workers developing and struggling with mental wellbeing issues. Ben shares his intimate experiences living with depression and anxiety for the past few years, and along the way, we are witness to his intimate conversations with key creatives and crew, actors, dancers, musicians, performers- many of them household names – who have likewise struggled and how they have survived.

While this film may not reach and save every life, we hope it will have enough impact to at least save one, and that it will spark much-needed conversations about mental health.

DETAILS

Online screening
Tuesday 12 May
1-3pm
Duration: 73 mins
FREE Queensland residents only

Event organiser: National Wellness Roadshow