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ANIMATION:
The art form that birthed the movement.
Before Mental Roots was a brand, it was a short animated film that founder Nathan Addai felt a calling to make.
An animation attempting to start a revolution of positive black British representation in the animation industry, while encouraging young black men to see discussing mental health and emotions as a strength, not weakness.
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Some years later, the Mental Roots brand continues to push black and 'minority' ethnic representation, through making and co-creating with community. We craft innovative pieces of animation used within educational, entertainment, marketing and therapeutic contexts.
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Why? Because in today's age, visual digital content is one of the most powerful mediums to empower marginalised groups.
How it all started...
In February 2020, in the final year of his BA Animation degree, Nathan was selected by Rural Media's New Creatives Midlands program for the exciting opportunity to help create, fund and distribute the Mental Roots film. In addition to Director, he was also Writer, Voiceover artist/poet and Colouring Animator. ​
Mental Roots places you in the shoes of a first-generation black Brit who embodies the common fears and stigmas of mental health issues among young black men.
At a local youth meeting, he starts to wonder: what led to his mental breaking point? Is he already beyond help? Coming from a context where many young people like him live as shells of themselves, are his true emotions worth trusting?
Mental Roots offers a challenging proposition: maybe we should see vulnerability as part of the cure, rather than the disease...
The film was made remotely, with the bulk of production taking place during Autumn 2020. Completed in March 2021, the film’s coming together was also largely inspired by the Mental Roots Podcast, which I launched in July 2020, as the worldwide discourse on racism and black experiences increased after the killing of George Floyd.
