Industry experts discuss mental health in the industry

Experts Louise Højgaard Johansen and Christine Günther say that mental health in the film and television industry is a topic that is too rarely talked about in the industry.

Speaking at an industry panel at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival titled “International Industry Insights,” Johansen, a Danish festival programmer and film industry consultant, asked German producer and production designer Günther about best practices for mental health and well-being in this rapidly growing industry.

“I think any change starts with us,” Günther said. “We have to develop practices that feel reasonable and safe to us, and we have to ask ourselves, what kind of industry and what kind of world do we want to live in? And then we find allies, we build alliances, and then we realize this brave new world, and we all have the power to do that.”

Günther is the co-founder of the transatlantic production company Fireglory Pictures, which operates in Berlin and Los Angeles, while Johansen founded Sane Cinema in 2022, which promotes mental health in the film industry through awareness, training and education.

Günther added: “My recommendation to all those in management positions and everyone working in this industry is to find personal practices to cope with the swings of fear and hope that characterize our industry.

“I think if you have the skills or the tools to be able to sit on that rollercoaster, you can choose whether you want to ride the wooden, 100-year-old Coney Island ride that will give you a concussion and a slipped disc, or you can ride the Universal ride that is well-cushioned and gives you thrills and adventure, but you survive.”

Watch the video above.