Leeds filmmaker shines spotlight on men's mental health in latest documentary

Jonny White, 26, has created 'The Voices of Men' - filmed in and around Leeds - to shine a spotlight on what he calls the "vicious invisible illness" which claims the lives of thousands of men in the UK each year through suicide.

Statistics show men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women - and the rate is on the rise, with the overall number of people taking their own lives rising by over 10 per cent in 2018.

In his film, Jonny features the emotional stories of anonymous men who share their personal experiences - battling mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder - as footage plays of silent scenes in Leeds.

It begins with a raw and honest account of one man, who recalls: "At one point, I sort of found myself on a seventh storey thinking 'Yeah I can make that if I jumped...'.

Jonny said he put out a plea on online platforms such as Facebook, Reddit and Instagram for men's experiences and was "overwhelmed" with response.

"I didn't want to put any pressure on to anyone. I promised their anonymity, so this film would give them a safe platform to express what they want as deeply and as comfortably as they felt.

"I was overwhelmed with the responses I received, and it was really encouraging to see so many men want to get involved and feel as strongly about this subject as myself.

"The primary focus of this film is the words that the men are speaking.

"I went around Leeds with my housemate to film minimalistic images that support and best represent the words that the men are speaking.

"I made the creative decision to not physically show the men talking in the film, which I did to emphasise the idea that anyone can suffer with this." he said.

Jonny,