General News
9 September, 2025
Documentary aims to get us talking for men's mental health
A thought-provoking documentary that delves into the stories of families that have lost loved ones to suicide will be screened in Mount Isa.
A powerful and thought-provoking documentary that delves into the stories of families that have lost loved ones to suicide will be screened in Mount Isa next week.
Organised by charity the Outback Mind Foundation, the screening of When the Dust Settles will take place from 6pm to 8pm on Monday, September 15, at Cinema Mount Isa.
The documentary is by award-winning Australian director Stuart McKay. It not only explores men’s mental health, it also tells the stories of everyday Australians from rural communities across the country and how the suicide of a family member or friend impacted them.
Outback Mind Foundation founder Aaron Schulz said while the movie delves into hard-hitting topics, it also provides solutions and strategies that will enable people in regional communities to better support men who may be going through a tough time.
“There’s some really strong evidence that we’ve got to start to get better – to look after our own mental health as men, but also to be able to help one another in communities and actually start to be proactive, rather than reactive,” Mr Schulz said.
“There are a few grassroots charities like mine which are really trying to get out there and make a difference, because seven men a day take their lives in Australia – and there are a lot more that attempt, or think about attempting.
“So we’ve got a real social issue that’s not being addressed, but people like Outback Mind want to make a difference.”
He said the film – which is being shown in Perth, and will soon be screened in Broken Hill and Baradine in NSW – will prepare people to know what warning signs to look out for if someone is struggling.
“It’s very multi-dimensional. There’s a poet that speaks, there’s a cattle farmer that talks about his issues on the land. It goes into the story of a lady from Goondiwindi who lost her father, but it flows into a family from Wee Waa that lost a 32-year-year man working in the cotton industry,” Mr Schulz said.
Founded in 2019, the Outback Mind Foundation’s goal is to help men throughout regional and rural Australia to live healthier, happier, and more connected lives.
It has been running a men’s circle in Mount Isa for the past 12 months.
“We run men’s circles and we do different things to help men, and to develop emotional literacy in men, but these issues we see in modern society – child custody and relationship problems – are a key contributor to men taking their own lives,” he said.
“We teach them how to have a good relationship with themselves first and foremost, but also how to develop and maintain a good relationship with their partner.”
The screenings across Australia are thanks to the fundraising efforts of Maddie Mortimer, who ran 21 half-marathons in 21 days in May this year to mark the 10-year anniversary of her dad’s passing. Proceeds of the Steps 4 Strength fundraiser went towards the creation of When the Dust Settles and efforts to bring it to rural and remote communities.
Tickets for the Mount Isa screening are $22 each and can be booked here. Find out more about The Outback Mind here.