Stephen

Screened for International Recovery Month, in collaboration with New Note.

Post screening Q&A with Alex Mazonowicz, managing editor of Performing Recoveries Magazine, and Lauren Dowse, Artistic Director of New Note Dance, hosted by Molly Mathieson.

Please note: this screening will include a short film before the main feature. Found is a culmination of movement metaphors created through the exploration the spiritual principles that underpin the 12 Step Recovery Program.

Stephen is auditioning to play himself in an inventive, cinematic and moving exploration of addiction and mental health.

Visual artist Melanie Manchot works with a recovery group in Liverpool, who take up roles in a semi-fictional film-within-a-film that explores addiction and mental health from multiple perspectives.

It is centred around Stephen, a character recovering from gambling and alcohol addictions. References to the first police crime reconstruction, filmed in Liverpool in 1901, are a reminder that addiction has long existed within the fabric of our culture.

It’s a tough process and emotionally charged scenes reveal inner truths, which gain additional power when the people playing the roles are, in some sense, playing themselves.

Visually striking, this is a startling record of this form of treatment and a reminder of how dextrous the documentary form can be.

'Stephen is the first feature film by multi-media artist Melanie Manchot and it’s the best debut film I’ve seen since Steve McQueen’s Hunger. It’s gripping from the first frame to the last' - Sarah Kent, The Arts Desk

September is International Recovery Month – held to increase awareness, challenge stigma, and celebrate the success of those in recovery from all addictive behaviours.