FIGHT BACK FILM AWARDS

The war ends. The battle doesn’t. PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) is at the forefront of health concerns for combat veterans. It has taken various names over the years, from ‘shell-shock’ (World War I) to ‘battle fatigue’ (World II), ‘Viet-Nam syndrome’ (Viet-Nam war). Whichever the name, war-induced psychological injuries leave sequels often as traumatic as physical wounds. PTSD and other anxieties still claim too many lives. Suicide rate is at its ripest amongst military members 20% with latest figures showing almost 28 per 100,000 individuals in the US. Numbers in the UK also present higher rate than the non ex-servicemen/women population. Chronic complications arise when left untreated. Veterans face trauma, silence, and often a lack of mental health support all over the world.

THE FIGHT BACK FILM AWARDS not only celebrate the work that these men and women have created in their struggle to superate PTSD and other traumas, and re-integrate into society, but also to encourage many more veterans to use filmmaking and all its disciplines, to help them find a focus in their life and fight their demons. We also hope that the event will also contribute to raising awareness on a section of the population often forgotten.