Java Post Production is excited to announce its support of the LOOK: Mental Health/Film Initiative program.

Based in Regina, LOOK is a fully volunteer run, nonprofit registered charity, and the cornerstone of the Regina International Film Festival's (RIFFA) educational academy. LOOK provides an opportunity for students with mental health issues to express themselves creatively through making their own film or documentary.

"For me LOOK has played a major role in my recovery journey. I was able to cope creatively and make a short film to express my experience battling with obsessive compulsive disorder and depression. LOOK gave me a sense of purpose everyday to continue fighting and to express myself in a creative manner. I don't believe I would be where I am today without that opportunity."
- Coral, Student

"I became involved in LOOK as a mental health professional when I saw the incredible growth and transformation in the client students which far outstripped any recovery I had seen through the traditional mental health system despite our best efforts. I watched marginalized, shy clients with little self-esteem or sense of purpose transform into happy, connected students with a sense of identity, purpose and confidence, and friends - all things the traditional health system falls short at."
- Dianne, Social Worker

The community based program is dedicated to helping individuals living with mental health challenges heal and cope through the power of artistic/cinematic expression. The students are supported by the film and teaching communities, as well as mental health practitioners. There is also a vocational aspect to the program. The program is free (camera loans, editing software, laptop loans, etc.) as LOOK doesn’t want any barriers to entry. No film experience is required for the Digital Filmmaking100 course. All films are publicly showcased during RIFFA, some are submitted to film festivals, and all are distributed on-line.

Recently, the LOOK program needed to find a new location that could accommodate a classroom, a production studio, offices, and storage. Java Post Production had some under-utilized space that fit those requirements and stepped up, allowing LOOK to move into the space at no charge.

"In my 35 years in the film industry, and dozens of years volunteering, this is the most amazing project I have ever been involved in. All our students have substantial mental health issues, but they dig in and produce films that are engaging, often intensely personal and imaginative and go a long way towards defeating stereotypes. It’s been very heartening to see students go on to work in the industry, enroll in film schools and let the world see who they are and what they are capable of, given even half a chance. Everyone at LOOK is a volunteer and their commitment to the students and to film is unsurpassed. Java Post is singularly responsible for allowing our non-profit program to continue."
- Trevor Grant, Co-Educational and Creative Director, LOOK

 Java Post Production is very proud to support LOOK and it's work in our community. We were also pleased to handle the post-production work on "Little Trooper."  Written and directed by Emma Bailey, "Little Trooper" was one of six films produced in 2024 through the LOOK program.

Applications for the LOOK program are now being accepted and are open until October 27, 2024 and the new program begins on November 17. Details and an application form are in the LOOK website.