Students and faculty from Moon Chun Memorial College (MCMC) of the University of Macau (UM) have produced a short film titled The Invisible Self to raise public awareness about mental health. Film screenings and post-screening sharing sessions are being held in several local secondary schools, the first of which was held at Colégio Mateus Ricci and attracted the participation of nearly 600 students and teachers.

The film was well received by the students and teachers at Colégio Mateus Ricci. During the post-screening sharing session, the producer, director, screenwriter, and actors of the film, as well as social workers of MCMC engaged in interactions with the audience and shared some knowledge on mental health issues such as emotional suppression, symptoms and management of stress, and childhood trauma. Some students said that the film enabled them to learn about self-acceptance, how to cope with setbacks in life, how to seek help from people they trust when facing great pressure, and not to suppress negative emotions.

The Invisible Self is a short film about self-acceptance, embracing both the positive and negative aspects of oneself, and establishing a connection with one’s inner self. The film tells the story of an outgoing and ambitious first-year student who encounters a deeply troubled roommate. She tries to uplift her roommate but struggles to help her break free from her inner turmoil. Through a series of incidents, she ultimately uncovers the truth behind her roommate’s struggles.

The inspiration for the film came from the Chinese poem ‘White Night’ written by Yao Jingming, professor in the Department of Portuguese of UM’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The script was co-written by Macao director Steven U and Celina Wang, a second-year student in UM’s Department of Portuguese and MCMC. The main characters and most of the crew members in the film were members of MCMC.