Next Talk: Mental Health in the Creative Sector

In this Next Talk, we aim to have an open and candid conversation about mental health in the film and creative industry. Fully embracing your artistic passion and making a living from it can often feel like a blessing. However, complete dedication and passion for a craft can lead to an unsustainable work-life balance and, in some cases, even to mental health issues. Creativity can be both a powerful asset and a potential vulnerability without strong personal boundaries. We will explore how creatives, artists, and crew members can maintain their wellbeing in such a demanding industry – and how personal experiences with mental health issues, burnout, or stigma can lead to meaningful, impactful projects that can even serve as sources of creative healing. We welcome creatives Maaike Hartjes and Kiki Ho to share insights from their work and social activism around mental health. Moderators for the conversation are Anna de Beus and Rosan Boersma from Cinemind, an initiative researching mental health in the film industry. Maaike Hartjes, after pursuing a year in natural sciences, eagerly chased her dream of becoming a cartoonist. After completing two art academies, she began drawing comics for various newspapers and magazines while also working in corporate cartooning. Following a period of excessive workload, she experienced burnout and started keeping an illustrated diary. This 'Burnout Diary' was published by Nijgh&Van Ditmar and formed the basis for the animated film 'I'm Perfectly Fine' by Studio Pupil/Studio Souza, where Maaike worked closely as an art director. Currently, Maaike still works as a live cartoonist at events and actively shares personal comics on Instagram, addressing social and activist topics. Siu Ki (Kiki) Ho is a documentary filmmaker and program director at The Big Hoof. After earning her Master's in Documentary Making in London, she directed various short films that have been showcased globally at festivals and symposia. Beyond her filmmaking, Kiki works to combat the stigma surrounding mental health and portray neurodiversity in a positive, authentic light. Her debut documentary, 'Zie Je', premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival and won the Dutch Film Critics Award 2025. Rosan Boersma and Anna de Beus, both with years of experience in the film and TV industry, have developed a shared vision for promoting social sustainability and mental health in the film sector, leading to the establishment of CINEMIND. This platform researches mental health in the film and TV sectors (including the Confession Caravan at the NFF) and offers workshops to bring about practical changes while raising awareness on this essential subject.