Mental Health Meets Art in Pune: Two-Day Festival to Tackle Stigma and Awareness
Pune, 19th June 2026: A two-day Mental Health Art and Film Festival titled “Break the Silence” will be held in Pune on 19 and 20 June 2026 at the Sushruta Auditorium, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Medical College.
The Pune chapter of the festival is being jointly organised by the YRG Medical Educational and Research Foundation (YRG MERF), InDepth Mental Health & Wellness Pune, and the Department of Psychiatry, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Medical College, Pune, in collaboration with mental health professionals, academic institutions, artists, filmmakers, and civil society organisations.
The initiative aims to reduce stigma around mental health and promote open dialogue through a blend of art, cinema, and academic discourse. Organisers said the festival is designed to bring together diverse stakeholders to address pressing mental health challenges in India and encourage community participation in mental wellbeing.
Over the two days, the event will host eminent psychiatrists, public health experts, educators, armed forces medical professionals, corporate leaders, filmmakers, artists, students, and mental health advocates.
A key highlight of the festival will be six thematic panel discussions focusing on the current state of mental health in India, gender, sexuality, trauma and resilience, cinema and storytelling as tools for mental health advocacy, youth and workplace mental health, childhood trauma and mental wellbeing in schools, and creative and expressive therapies in mental healthcare.
In addition to panel discussions, the festival will feature interactive art experiences under the theme “UNMUTED: Expression Beyond Words”, curated film screenings, experiential workshops, movement-based healing sessions, and direct interactions with mental health practitioners.
Organisers stated that the festival aims to challenge stigma, encourage help-seeking behaviour, promote emotional wellbeing, and strengthen community-based mental health support systems.
The event is open to students, healthcare professionals, educators, corporate employees, artists, caregivers, social workers, and members of the public interested in mental health and wellbeing.
