OUR STORIES ON FILM - COMMUNITY ZINE

In 2021, we had the ambitious goal of creating a community zine to elevate the work of female and non-binary film photographers globally and for viewers to see more perspectives of universal human experiences. We successfully launched volume 1 ‘Identity’ in late-2022 which sold out within 6 weeks. After receiving such wonderful feedback, we’re kicking off volume 2, hoping to share more stories from our community with the rest of the world.

ABOUT THE THEME: MELANCHOLY

By now, we’ve learnt the simple fact that life is hard. How often have you said you’re feeling ‘good’ when in reality it is quite the opposite. Society has the tendency to favour feelings of happiness and cheerfulness, yet little is portrayed or discussed about the state of melancholy. Melancholy is often misunderstood to be depression and bitterness. Instead, it’s a kind of ‘gentle’ sorrow or sadness that we feel more often than we realise: when going home after a long trip; visiting family and realising how much they have aged; looking at art; reminiscing about the past and remembering when you were young. No one is immune to this feeling and sometimes we might feel sad for no reason. So by seeking it out from time to time, we may begin to better understand ourselves and learn how to cope with the challenges we face.

Melancholy has been said to be based on an awareness of the imperfection of everything, on the perennial gap between what should ideally be and what actually is; and that “the melancholic are especially receptive to beauty and goodness. They can be deeply moved by flowers, by a tender moment in a children’s book, by an unexpected gesture of kindness from someone they barely know, by sunlight falling on an old wall at dusk.” (Varieties of Melancholy: A Hopeful Guide to Our Somber Moods, 2021)

In volume 2 of Our Stories on Film, we want to show different kinds of melancholy so that we can all start to recognise this valuable emotion, tap into it, and see what it can teach us about ourselves. We also hope that this will help develop greater awareness within ourselves and be a reason for you to start an important dialogue about mental health with the people around you. 

When did you last feel melancholic? 

• What colours, shapes, textures, or subjects come to mind when you feel a gentle sorrow?

• What evokes your own melancholy? Eg. time of day, season, environmental factors, music, cinema, books, experiences etc.

• How might you recreate memories that invoke a sense of melancholy?

• What has helped you reflect and process your thoughts when you feel flat?