Meet filmmakers from Norway and abroad who have all contributed to strong and touching productions within the topic of mental health: fiction films, documentaries and short films that show personal stories, and describe alternative service models where local and individual adaptations, unique healing paths and human rights are safeguarded – often with a slant on the field.
Names like Norway’s own Ellen Ugelstad, Ane-Martha Tamnes Hansgård, Melanie Ekholdt, Lydia Kok and Morten Willoch Wærø will be present and participate in the event, in addition to showing their films.
International filmmakers such as Lynn Cunningham from the USA, Michelle Melles and Pedro Orrego from Canada, Danish Janus Bang, British Katinka Newman and Maggie Wright, and Brazilian Cris Lopes and Celso Maldos will also be present. Their films will help raise the participants’ gaze towards what is common and binds us humans together across borders.
Comprehensive basic understanding
The festival is a unique opportunity to gain insight into what is happening internationally both on the research front and when it comes to the development of recovery-oriented services, based on human rights and a psychosocial and holistic basic understanding. A festival where we gather around values such as community, love, human rights, empathy, dignity, growth and equality.
Other participants you will be able to meet are:
Ragnfrid Kogstad, Norwegian sociologist and professor with a doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine. Her areas of expertise include psychiatry and human rights.
Anders Sørensen from Denmark, psychologist, Ph.D in medication tapering, author.
Olga Runciman, a nurse and psychologist from Denmark with personal experience. She co-founded the Danish network “Hearing Voices” and the International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal.
Beatrice Birch, art therapist and founder of Inner Fire Healing Community in Vermont, USA. Here, people receive help through a one-year program to taper off medication and to get better connected to themselves, their bodies, their creativity and drive.
Claudia Esteve is certified by the Open Dialogue UK Foundation and is the founder of the JAEC Foundation, based in Spain. She is a board member of Mad in America and sits on the advisory board of the Inner Fire Healing Community in the US.
Hilde Marie Rekstad, author, writer and speaker with personal experience from psychiatry. Trained educational-psychological counselor, with experience from counseling work within the education sector.
Gretchen Watson, psychologist, Ph.D., a specialist in public health and patient safety. Her research and engagement have contributed to the national debate on patient safety, informed consent, and the importance of non-pharmacological approaches in mental health. United States
Magnus Hald, former head of the mental health and substance abuse clinic at the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN), now a psychiatrist at the Drug-Free Treatment Service at UNN. (Now with a new name: the Recovery Unit).
Also coming from the same department are psychologist specialist and department head Christine Nyquist and psychiatric nurse and professional developer Tore Ødegård.
British Lucy Johnstone, psychologist, visiting professor and author. Lucy was lead author, with Professor Mary Boyle, of the “Power Threat Meaning Framework” (2018), a publication of the British Psychological Society, published in collaboration with service users.
Espen Gade Rolland, psychiatric nurse, head of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association’s professional group for mental health and substance abuse. Associate professor at Lovisenberg Diakonale Høgskole in Oslo.
Marius Lucas Strøm Pettersen, chairman of the board of the Experience Center, a national organization that represents experienced workers and the use of their own experiences within mental health, substance abuse and rehabilitation work.
Nina Danielsen works at LEVE, the national association for survivors of suicide. There, she leads the work to prevent suicide by giving survivors a voice.
Inger-Mari Eidsvik, child welfare educator, special needs teacher and trauma therapist. Psychosis and coercion survivor. In 2026, she won a court case against the Norwegian state, where the state was convicted of human rights violations in connection with coercive treatment.
Mette Ellingsdalen, leader of the Norwegian user and interest organization WSO – We Shall Overcome. She has worked on human rights issues and was one of the initiators of the Joint Campaign for Drug-Free Treatment Services.
American Daniel Fisher, psychiatrist, teacher and author. Director of The National Empowerment Center. One of the few psychiatrists who has come forward publicly with his own experience with schizophrenia.
Norwegian Jimmy Westerheim, founder of The Human Aspect Foundation, which is behind the Life Experience Library.
Carina Håkansson, Swedish psychotherapist, Ph.D. Together with Robert Whitaker, founder of the International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal in 2016.
Vegard Høgli, a Norwegian physician with more than 40 years of experience from various positions in public health, including as county physician and municipal chief physician. He has promoted approaches such as “Open Dialogue” in network meetings and the “Power-Threat-Opinions” framework for many years.
British doctor, author and speaker Cathy Wield is an advocate for better mental health care, drawing on her own experience as a psychiatric patient in her work.
Raffaella Pocobello, an Italian psychologist with a Ph.D., is a researcher at the National Research Council in Rome. She is a course leader and supervisor in “Open Dialogue” and teaches at the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna.
Paulo Amarante, a psychiatrist from Brazil, holds a master’s degree in social medicine and a Ph.D. in public health. He has been central to the Brazilian reform in the mental health field.
Peter Gøtzche, Danish physician, specialist in internal medicine. Researcher, lecturer and author. Visiting professor. Co-founded the Cochrane Collaboration and established the Nordic Cochrane Centre in 1993.
Author and artist Karin Jervert from Mad in America – the team will lead the poetry evening on Friday. Also participating are psychotherapist and author Jo Watson from the British organization AD4E (A Disorder 4 Everyone), poet and singer-songwriter Joanna Sødermark from Sweden, and Argentinian Alan Robinson, author and teacher.
September 24th to 26th
Location: Lillehammer Cinema
Presentation of the films: https://madinnorwayfilmfest.org/films/
Program: https://madinnorwayfilmfest.org/program/
Tickets: https://madinnorwayfilmfest.org/tickets/
You can read more about all those who will contribute to the film festival here: https://madinnorwayfilmfest.org/contributors/
The festival is organized in collaboration with:
Mad in America
the wider network Mad in the World
Innsbruck University College – Center for Lifelong Learning (SELL)
Norwegian Nurses’ Association’s professional group for mental health and substance abuse
The Norwegian Television School, Innsbruck University
Amandus Blikkfang film festival
The festival is organized with support from:
Mad in America
Lillehammer municipality development
Eastern Norway film center
White Eagle Norway
WSO – We Shall Overcome
Previous posts about the film festival: