Film Competition 2021

Although Covid-19 has affected us all in some way, each of us will have experienced the pandemic differently and we will each face different challenges moving forward. We want to make sure that as we plan our next steps for the local health and care system we fully understand the many diverse perspectives and experiences of people in Suffolk and North East Essex, and our film competition was an important way to listen to the voices of people who are not usually heard.

We asked people in Suffolk and North East Essex to send us short films describing their individual recent experiences of health and care and their personal perspective on the question ‘How do we help everyone heal?’

Our judging panel was facilitated by our Health Equity Lead David Akinsanya, and our judges were:

Tosca Fairchild, NHS England and NHS Improvement
Pam Green, North East Essex Alliance
Susannah Howard, ICS Programme Director
Nick Hulme, CEO, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Jon Neal, CEO, Suffolk Mind
Will Pope, ICS Independent Chair
Amanda Takavarasha, Adult Social Care, Suffolk County Council
Cad Taylor, BBC Radio Suffolk
Rachel Walton, CEO, African Families in the UK

The panel judged the film entries on their look and sound, clarity of messaging and passion, their expression of their experiences for others to understand, and their creativity of messaging.

David Akinsanya, ICS Equity Lead

David Akinsanya said: “Watching these films made me cry, made me more aware, and some made me angry. In my mind that is the best incentive to do something about inequalities. If it makes you angry, if it makes you upset, then it’s worth doing. Thank you to everyone who took part, and to everyone who helped people take part.”

Nick Hulme, Chief Executive,
East Suffolk & North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Nick Hulme said: “I realised how privileged I was to see these films and I was very moved by them; one moved me more than anything else, and will significantly change how I do my job in the future. Thank you to all the amazing contributions from everyone, thank you for your work, your openness, your kindness, your humility and your honesty.”

Cad Taylor, BBC Radio Suffolk

Cad Taylor said: “We have some very influential people listening right now, and I hope this is just the beginning, the grassroots people on the ground make the change and we are lucky to have such wonderful people doing that work, so thank you.”