In the past few years, the world has seen the largest displacements of people since the end of the Second World War. According to the Director-General of the World Health Organization, "the scale of anti-migrant sentiment is equally unprecedented." How does this social context shape the mental health of young immigrant and refugee men?
Carla Hilario, an immigrant herself, decided to explore this question. She engaged six young men, who self-identified as immigrants or refugees, to join her in this project. With their guidance, she conducted research interviews with 33 immigrant and refugee men, ages 15 to 22, who shared their perspectives on mental health. From the interviews, the six collaborators selected stories that resonated with their own experiences. They directed local youth in re-enacting stories to create New Frames.
With such a deliberately collaborative approach, both in research and in the creation of the film, New Frames flips the traditional power dynamic offering a unique voice to those not often listened to, encouraging conversation on topics stigmatized for far too long.
