Suara.com – Awareness of the importance of mental health in Indonesia is still very low. Indeed, during a pandemic like today, this is something that requires attention.

Not just adults, teenagers too need to understand the subject of mental health and wellbeing. For this reason, the discussion of these questions must be conducted openly.

One of them can be through movies so it still feels fun. This is what the Science Film Festival does, which is available online from October 12th to November 30th, 2021.

This annual event of the Goethe-Institut reaches elementary and high school students in 52 districts or cities of the country. Under the motto “Health and Welfare”, this year’s festival presented 17 international films, accompanied by screenings of scientific experiments.

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“This festival aims to creatively invite students to explore mental health and wellbeing topics and engage in science in a fun way,” said Dr. Stefan Dreyer, Regional Director of the Goethe-Institut for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand at a virtual press conference on Tuesday (October 12th, 2021).

Hilmar Farid, director general of culture in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, added that mental health and well-being are very relevant issues for the development of science in Indonesia.

“The theme of the 17 SDGs, especially in Goal 3, is actually a common goal of a better and more sustainable future. To do that, we need to look at the current world situation, understand the opportunities for change and take action, “he said.

Later, he went on, the 2021 Science Film Festival will put the focus of this activity on science, as well as mental health and wellbeing, through a range of selected international films that have related themes and other interesting subjects of science.

In Indonesia, 17 films from South Africa, the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Portugal and Thailand, which have been dubbed into Indonesian, will be shown. Selected film categories include family edutainment; Natural Sciences, Life Sciences & Technology; non-verbal and scientific short films.

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The selected films are to be shown alternately on the zoom platform in front of students from 166 schools in different districts / cities, including Aceh, Bangkalan, Bintuni, East Flores, Jakarta, Jayapura, Karo, Kuningan, Lembata, Medan, Payakumbuh, Pulang Pisau, Semarang, Surabaya, Soe, Sorong, Toraja, Waikabubak, Waingapu, Yogyakarta and many more.

In addition, the films will also be shown in 3 science centers and 6 communities. Of the 17 films Knietzsche und Gesundheit (2020) from Germany, directed by Anja von Kampen, one is that raises health issues.

In this 3-minute animated film, a young philosopher named Knietzsche talks about the importance of health: the health system of the human body has to work precisely like a clock in order for our life to run smoothly.