The Action

The CAST project team wrote and produced a short film portraying young people’s feelings and, following its success, they saw an opportunity to get more of their peers involved. They created the CAST Film Festival to showcase short films on positive mental health created by young people. The festival challenges entrants to study the causes of negative mental health and to collate their research and suggestions for positive change into a 5 minute creative and informative film. The shortlisted films are showcased at the annual gala event.

The Impact

CAST stands for ‘Caring About Society Together’ and the impact it has had on the Clondalkin community reflects this mantra. The festival has grown from a small school based project to a major event and it is making huge progress in encouraging young people and others to talk about mental health. A glamorous awards showcase and gala evening is now an integral part of the annual festival which is attended by a number of Irish celebrities from the worlds of TV, film and sport.