08:37, 13 May 2026
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
With the 2026 Smiley Charity Film Awards just passed, and with this week being Mental Health Awareness Week, we at Smiley News thought this was the perfect opportunity to platform some recent cause-based and charity films that are all about mental health awareness.
Trybe House Theatre — If Home Is Where The Heart Is
It is only right that we start with one of the winners of this year’s Smiley Charity Film Awards. Trybe House Theatre’s If Home Is Where The Heart Is is a moving exploration of identity, belonging and emotional honesty.
The organisation creates interactive workshops designed to bring Black men together in spaces where vulnerability is not just accepted, but encouraged. Through deeply personal storytelling and striking visual intimacy, the film captures the power of being seen and heard without judgement. Rather than relying on grand gestures, it succeeds through quiet moments of truth; conversations about masculinity, mental health and self-worth that feel both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Harry Kane Foundation — Harry Kane: Resilience
Another standout winner from a previous Smiley Charity Film Awards comes courtesy of the Harry Kane Foundation. Harry Kane: Resilience goes beyond the familiar football documentary formula, instead focusing on the pressures that come with performance, expectation and public scrutiny.
Fronted by Harry Kane himself, the film opens up important conversations around mental fitness and emotional resilience, particularly among young people. There is a refreshing sincerity to the project. Rather than positioning strength as silence, it reframes resilience as the ability to speak openly, seek support and keep moving forward.
Steve (2025)
Steve offers a deeply human portrait of responsibility, burnout and emotional survival within the education system. Centred on a school headmaster attempting to support his students while quietly battling his own mental health struggles, the film explores the often invisible pressure carried by those expected to hold everything together.
What makes the story so compelling, besides Cillian Murphy’s acting, is its emotional restraint. Rather than leaning into melodrama, Steve captures the exhausting reality of trying to care for others while neglecting yourself in the process. The result is a thoughtful and affecting drama that speaks to the importance of compassion, not only for those around us, but for ourselves as well.
Samaritans: Help Bring Someone’s Future Back
Returning to the Smiley Charity Film Awards, Samaritans delivered one of the ceremony’s most emotionally affecting campaigns with Help Bring Someone’s Future Back. The film tackles suicide prevention with extraordinary care, balancing heartbreak with hope in a way that never feels exploitative.
Rather than centring statistics, it focuses on human connection; the small acts of listening and compassion that can fundamentally change, and save, lives. What makes the campaign so effective is its restraint. It trusts the audience to sit with discomfort while gently reminding us that support, conversation and empathy remain some of the most powerful tools we have.
Newborn (2026)
Newborn is an unflinching drama examining the psychological toll of solitary confinement and the fragile process of re-entering society afterwards. Following a character attempting to rebuild their life after prolonged isolation, the film explores themes of alienation, anxiety and human connection with striking sensitivity.
Each scene offers a quiet intensity through every scene, reflecting how even ordinary interactions can feel overwhelming after years cut off from the outside world. Rather than offering easy redemption, Newborn focuses on the complexity of recovery and the long shadow that institutional isolation can leave behind. It is a powerful reminder of how essential connection and community are to mental wellbeing.
Jumping from High Places (2022)
To take a break from some of the more dramatic entries on this list, Jumping from High Places approaches anxiety and personal growth with warmth, humour and emotional honesty. The film follows a young woman confronting a long list of fears after the death of her best friend, pushing herself into situations that force her to re-engage with life rather than retreat from it. What could easily have become a predictable coming-of-age story instead feels surprisingly grounded, thanks to its sensitive portrayal of mental health and grief.
Beneath its lighter moments sits a thoughtful exploration of how fear can quietly shape our relationships, ambitions and sense of self. In the end, Jumping from High Places is less about conquering fear entirely and more about learning to live alongside it without letting it define you.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Mind. This leading mental health charity provides advice, advocacy and support for people experiencing mental health challenges, while campaigning to improve services and reduce stigma across the UK. Learn more here.
Samaritans. Available day and night for anyone struggling to cope, this charity offers confidential emotional support through listening services, outreach programmes and suicide prevention campaigns designed to remind people they are never alone. Discover their work here.
Black Minds Matter UK. Focused on making mental health support more accessible for Black individuals and families, this charity connects people with free therapy sessions and works to challenge inequalities within mental healthcare. Find out more here.
This positive news article aligns with the UN SDG Good Health and Wellbeing.
This article aligns with the following UN SDGs
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