Hiding In Plain Sight, a two-part, four-hour film, will begin that conversation. Through first-person  accounts, the film will present an unvarnished window into the issues associated with mental illness and  the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that those who live with it face daily.

The film will confront the  issues of stigma, discrimination, awareness, and silence, and, in doing so, help advance a major shift in  the public perception of mental illness today. Executive produced by Ken Burns, co-directed by Erik  Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers, produced by Julie Coffman, and written by David Blistein, Hiding in  Plain Sight, the first film of Our Mental Health Crisis, is slated for broadcast on PBS in 2022.

Mental illness is a significant global health crisis—as pervasive as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease— but it often exists in secret and is endured in isolation. 

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There are people struggling with mental illness all over the world: in remote rural communities, small  towns, and major cities; in schools, the workplace, and in our homes. The issues surrounding mental illness are extraordinarily complex; the risk factors are daunting, the  economics bewildering, the politics contentious. Public policy, research, and education can help. But the  most important step—and often the most difficult one—is to start talking about it.  

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

This campaign addresses the critical health needs of Americans through broadcast content, original digital content,  and impactful local events. The multi-year campaign, created by WETA Washington, D.C., brings together partners from across  the country, including patients, families, caregivers, teachers, medical and mental health professionals, social service agencies,  private foundations, filmmakers, corporations and media sponsors, to create awareness and resources for better health for all. 

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